


Katie's Girl

by gufis253



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, Family, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, Team Dynamics, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-16
Updated: 2016-01-18
Packaged: 2018-05-14 06:34:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 47,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5733109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gufis253/pseuds/gufis253
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Team's lives are turned upside down when a very familiar little brunette walks into NCIS one night. This is Kaye's story. Begins in early Season 3. Eventual team dynamics and relationships explored. Will include all major characters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A/N-So, here it is. The reworking of my very old story, "Katie's Girl". I decided to start from scratch. I like to stick to basic canon as much as possible, and weave my story around the events of the show. I would rather add my story on top, rather than rewrite what has already happened.

Disclaimer-I don't own NCIS, or anything CBS claims is theirs. Kaye and her piece of the story is all that is mine.

Prologue

A young woman sat on a worn sofa under the window in the living room of an older house. She had had many memories in this place. Funny memories of movie nights with a group of people she adored crossed her mind, as well as heartbreaking moments filled with tears in remembering those lost. She thought back to times of utter fear, as well as moments feeling completely safe down in a dusty basement surrounded by the comforting smell of sawdust. Kaye looked at the photo albums spread out on the table in front of her.

She had been asked what it was like – what it was like to live the way she had lived. She had never had a normal life, and people thought she probably should have been a lot less stable than she was because of it, but truthfully, she couldn’t say she would have liked it any other way. As she set pen to paper, she began to try and make sense of it all. After all, how could she explain it to someone who had never lived with the fear of losing the people closest to you, with the unique comfort of knowing that your “family” had chosen to be your family, with the love of a father who seemed cold and uncaring to the rest of the world, when she couldn’t quite explain it to herself?

Kaye had always been an adept artist, and a talented writer. This would be her greatest challenge yet. How do you put your entire life experience into words that others could understand? There was only one place to really start.

And that was that fall day, so long ago, it seemed, that Roxy said that things would have to change.


	2. Chapter 2

Zach had just been returned to his father. It was a generally happy ending, though Gibbs knew that the little boy's recent experiences would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Gibbs popped down to Abby's lab to make sure that she was all packed up and ready to go home to bed. He knew she hadn't slept much during the case and wanted to make sure she didn't wear herself out any more than she already had.

The elevator dinged at his arrival, and he was barely through the door of the lab when he was hit by a black and white blur. She wrapped him up in a giant bear hug.

"I'm going to miss that kid, Gibbs."

He smirked and replied, "Me too, Abbs. But he's got his dad back. He has a chance at a semi-normal life again."

"I know. It's great. I just hope he visits sometime."

As Abby pulled away to collect her belongings, Gibbs' phone rang out. Ziva's name flashed across the screen, and he answered.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"Gibbs, you are needed up here right away."

"Ziva, I told you to go home. What's the problem?"

"I was about to leave, Gibbs, when a woman with a little girl showed up asking for you. The woman says it is urgent. She only wants to talk to you."

"Damn it. Alright. I'll be right up. Don't let them out of your sight."

"Bye."

Gibbs slammed his phone shut, wondering who it was that was interrupting his evening. Abby looked curious. Usually Gibbs walked her out to her car, and she was waiting for him.

"Got some sort of a situation upstairs, Abbs. Hopefully it won't take too long. How about I get Ziva to walk you out and I'll drop by your place to say goodnight?"

"Sure, Gibbs. Works for me." She said with a sunny smile.

The two clamored into the elevator and Gibbs slammed the button for his floor, while he called Ziva back. He arranged for her to pack up her stuff and meet Abby at the elevator.

10 minutes earlier

"Roxy, why are we here?" The beautiful little girl asked as she climbed out of the car.

"I told you, already, Kaye. I love you to death, kid, but I got that job offer in Italy. I need to go there, and there just won't be any way that I can take care of you AND do my work."

Timidly, the little girl whispered, "I'd be good. I promise."

Roxy glanced down at her old friend's daughter. She had places to be and a life to live, but she really did love Kaye. She was a smart kid, absolutely gorgeous, and funny as hell, but she just couldn't take her to Europe with her.

"I know you would, baby, but it just won't work out. I was never cut out to be a mom. Why do you think I always just borrowed and spoiled you when I felt like being around a kid? I love you, hon, but this is how things have to go. You're going to like them. Your mom adored them."

"But I don't even know them!"

"Well, in a few minutes, that's all going to change."

As Ziva and Abby rode the elevator to the parking lot, Gibbs stormed into the bullpen, annoyed that someone was keeping him from going home. As he turned around the corner by Ziva's desk, he stopped dead in his tracks as a little brunette, no more than seven or eight, spun around on Ziva's chair to face him.

Instantly, he flashed back to a conversation he had had with a co-worker several years ago.

Kate stared silently over at her boss, trying to muster up the courage to ask the burning question that had been on her mind since the day she started NCIS.

"What's on your mind, Kate?" Gibbs asked loudly, startling her out of her reverie.

She took a deep breath and wheeled her chair over to his desk so that she could really talk to him.

"Why don't you ever talk about them?" she asked quietly.

He stopped writing mid-word, and Kate thought she almost heard him gasp.

"Don't know what you're talking about, Katie."

She winced. She was never really fond of that name, and he knew he could use it in the nicest way possible, which always made her smile, or as a weapon of mass destruction.

Slightly annoyed with his evasiveness, she replied, "Shannon and Kelly."

Gibbs looked straight at her. "How do you know?"

"I read up on everyone I knew I was going to be working with before I started here. I just read a little deeper than your cover story, Gibbs."

He looked deep into her eyes. Usually when someone wanted to know something about his personal life, it pissed him off. But in Kate's eyes, all he saw was a pure, almost innocent, curiosity. He could've gotten angry and told her to butt out and mind her own business, but he decided, as he often did with her, to go the nicer route.

"They were murdered. Sha…Shannon was going to testify against a drug lord. Kelly," he paused momentarily to keep his emotions in check. "Kelly just happened to be in the car."

"You still see them in everything, don't you?"

"Every day."

"How do you keep going, Gibbs? If Kaye…I-I…mean…."

Gibbs' questioning gaze shot up to meet her own instantly.

"Who's Kaye, Kate?"

She contemplated lying, but knew that with about as much digging as she did on him, he would find out the truth anyway, she caved.

"I have a daughter."

"What? Why didn't I know about this?"

"Nobody knows, Gibbs. I had her in '97. I was young and stupid, but she's the best thing that ever happened to me."

He nodded, thinking.

With a quick smirk, he replied, "Kaye? A little full of yourself, there? Just had to name her almost identically to you?"

"Hey! My name is actually Caitlyn Todd. It's just that everyone except for Ducky is lazy and shortens it to Kate. Kaye is a beautiful name, and it's all hers."

"I see." He smirked. He paused for a moment before asking his next question. "I have you here almost constantly. Who watches her?"

"An old college roommate of mine, Roxy, has been around since Kaye was born. She's a website designer, so she works from home. She takes Kaye when I'm working."

"Her father?"

"Some drunken frat boy who ran for the hills when the pretty little plus sign appeared. He's not even on her birth certificate."

Gibbs gently touched Kate's hand to calm her. She couldn't believe she was sharing this, her most precious secret, with anyone.

"What if something happens to you here? Does she go to your parents? Your brothers? Your sister?"

"No!" She yelled. "No. They don't even know about her. I wasn't in too much contact with my family when she was born, and I don't see them much, now, either. It has just always been easier to keep her from them. There's no telling how they'd treat her. My parents are strict Catholics. They find out that their little girl had a kid out of wedlock? They'd not only be pissed at me, but they might treat her like crap, too, and I won't have that. No, if something happens to me, she goes to Roxy."

"And if Roxy has her own life? Or she can't take care of Kaye?"

"Then I guess I better set up other arrangements."

They sat in an awkward silence for a few moments. Just as Kate was getting up to leave in frustration, Gibbs stopped her.

"Pictures?"

Kate stopped and smiled gently, nodding. "Yeah. A bunch. You?"

"Bring yours over here and let me see Kaye, and I'll show you Shannon and Kelly."

Gibbs stared at the little girl. She was the spitting image of Kate.

"Kaye?"

Kaye looked up at a confused Roxy before turning and staring at Gibbs.

"How do you know who I am?"

"Your mom told me about you, once upon a time. Figured I'd meet you eventually." He walked over to Roxy and pulled her to the far end of the bullpen. "I take it good old Katie decided I was a good enough backup in case you couldn't take her?"

"Something like that. I got a major job offer, but I'd be moving to Italy. I can't take her with me. She deserves a good, stable home in the area that she's always known. Kate wrote you a letter explaining everything. It has the lawyer's information and everything. She set it up so that if something happened to her and I couldn't keep Kaye, that she would go directly to you."

"So that's it? You're just handing her over to me? A little warning would've been nice, Roxy."

She winced under his glare. "Look, I've packed up all of her stuff in boxes, except for her bed. It was kinda falling apart anyways. I just need someone to come pick it up from my place. My flight to Italy leaves in three days. I guess I could take her home for the night, but then I need to run errands for the rest of the time that I'm still in the country."

Gibbs was angry. He was mad that Kate's little girl was being treated like this. He was pissed that all of this responsibility had just been dumped on him without him having time to prepare for the little girl.

"You take her back home with you tonight. I'll talk to her right now and tell her what's going to happen. We'll be by to pick her and her stuff up tomorrow morning at 0900."

"O-Okay."

Gibbs swiftly turned on his heel and walked over to where Kaye was sitting. He couldn't believe just how much she looked like Kate.

"Kaye, I'm Jethro Gibbs. You can call me whatever you want. I knew your mother very, very well. She was an amazing agent, and a truly wonderful woman. She wanted me to look out for you if something happened to her, so that's what's going to happen, okay?"

Kaye nodded. "Does that mean…does that mean I have to move and live with you?"

Gibbs smiled gently. "Yeah, kiddo, it does. Tonight, you're going to go back home with Roxy, okay? Have one more sleep in that house. Then, tomorrow morning, I'll be by with Tony-"

He was cut off by a quick squeal and a smile. "Tony? Mommy always talked about Tony! She said he was weird and funny but really, really annoying. But she really liked him! She drew pictures of him lots."

Gibbs smirked knowingly. "Yeah, that Tony. I'll bring him with me to come and get you and all of your stuff, and we'll get you moved in tomorrow, alright? Think you can be brave for me and be ready for all of these changes tomorrow?"

Kaye sat up straighter and nodded decisively. "I'll be brave like my mommy."

Gibbs patted the girl on the shoulder before motioning for Roxy to take Kaye home for the night. Roxy handed him a large envelope packed with papers. As he saw them off, he looked back to Kate's old desk, reminiscing. His thoughts came to his current team and realized they had a lot to talk about. Pulling out his phone, he dialed a familiar number.

"Yeah, Duck. Sorry to bug you, but I need you to call the team. Everyone needs to be here asap. We have a situation on our hands. No-not a case. It's about Kate."


	3. Chapter 3

As Gibbs awaited the onslaught of team members, he opened the envelope that Roxy had given him. In it were Kaye's birth certificate, a myriad of other important papers concerning Kaye, lawyer's information, banking information, and a smaller envelope with "Gibbs" written in Kate's handwriting on the front.

He slowly opened the letter and began to read.

Gibbs,

I know we just had that talk about Kaye this week, but I felt the need to write this out and have everything ready and set up in case something happens to me. Our line of work is always dangerous, so I need to know that Kaye will be taken care of when I'm gone.

If you are reading this, I'm dead. Probably some big heroic moment. (That or I fell down some stairs. Far more likely, knowing me.)

Roxy is a nice girl, Gibbs, but she can be unpredictable and unreliable at times. She's good with Kaye in the short term, but I don't know that she'll be able to deal with taking on a child full time. I told her that if she ends up with Kaye, and can't care for her, that she is to go straight to you.

I know you owe me nothing, but if you could, take care of my baby for me.

I see the love in your eyes. I know, that if it came down to it, you will love my baby more than anyone.

I have set up several trust funds for Kaye; the information is all attached.

Abbs, since I'm sure you've somehow gotten your hands on this, too, please help him. I want you to be the one she looks to when she needs a mom. You don't have to be her mother, but be there, the way you always have been for me.

Tony, I trust you to be the terrifying uncle. Scare the boys away; keep her safe. Teach her how to kick other peoples' butts. But if you EVER do anything stupid with my little girl, I give Gibbs full permission to give you such a hard headslap you won't be able to see anymore.

McGee, help her with her homework. Be her confidante, the one she tells her secrets to. You're an amazing listener.

Ducky, you're on Grandpa duty. Tell her all of your stories. Teach her wrong and right. And give her your hugs all the time.

Palmer, help her with her biology homework. And threaten a few boys while you're at it, too.

Gibbs, this is just for you.

I trust you completely, that no matter what happens to me, or whoever else, you'll love her the way you love your team. Be the daddy she never got. You're each other's second chance. Love her for me. And if you're getting this, it means I'm gone. Which means that no matter how it happened, you're still blaming yourself for it. Please don't. Because unless you shot me just because I was pissing you off, I don't blame you. Remember, I'll always be your Katie-girl.

I love you all very much.

Take care of my baby.

Love, Kate

With a few tears in his eyes, and a gentle almost-smile on his face, he gently folded the letter back up and put it in the envelope once again.

Less than half an hour after Gibbs hung up with Ducky, the entire team was assembled before him, anxiously waiting to find out what was going on. Of course, the first thing on everyone's mind was "Is she alive?", but they had seen her body. They knew it was impossible.

Abby finally got tired of waiting for Gibbs to start. "Gibbs! What's going on? Just tell us, already!"

Gibbs glanced around at each person's face. Abby was tearing up at the mention of Kate. McGee looked concerned and curious as he wrapped an arm around Abby to comfort her. Ducky looked pensive, and Ziva just looked lost. And then there was Tony. He knew that with the exception of Abby, Tony had been hit the hardest by Kate's death. She was his partner, his friend. And yeah, DiNozzo had had a little bit of a crush on the late agent, as well.

"There was something about Kate that none of you knew about," He started. "Before she started here, back in '97, Kate gave birth to a little girl. The girl's name is Kaye. Kate and an old college roommate of hers, Roxy," He said with venom, "raised her until Kate died. Roxy has had Kaye ever since. Now, Roxy has decided that she doesn't want the hassle of taking care of an eight year old. She's moving to Italy in three days, and it looks like I'll be taking custody of Kaye."

"What?" Abby screeched. "Ka-Kate has a little girl? Have you seen her? Does she look like her? Does she talk like her? Gibbs! I need information! When's she coming? AH! What about her room?"

Gibbs took Abby's hand and smiled. "She's the spitting image of Kate. She's gone back home with Roxy for the night. Tomorrow morning Tony and I are going to go and pick her up with all of her belongings.

"Gi-!" Gibbs cut Abby off.

"Fine, you can come, too, Abbs."

"EEEE!"

"Tonight I need a few things. I need to go shopping for kid food and other basics. Abby, you're with me. McGee, I want to know everything about Roxy, Kate, Kate's family, and Kaye. Oh, and I want a list of the best places to get kids' furniture and toys. Oh, and get the lawyer on the phone. I want him down here no later than 0800. He's coming with us to pick up Kaye. Information's in this envelope." He handed Tony the papers. "Ducky, can you take Tony and Ziva to my place? I'm going to need that second bedroom cleaned up and ready for her for tomorrow."

Gibbs was glad that he had finally packed up all of Kelly's belongings and had hidden them up in the attic. All that was left in that room were some boxes of old junk, extra tools, and other stuff that could be transported to the basement.

"Just clean it out. Put everything in the back corner of the basement, vacuum, and wash the place down. Oh, and open the windows and air it out. Room hasn't been used for anything but storage in a long time."

"Alright, Jethro. It'll be clean by morning."

"I'm sorry that this is going to be a late night for all of us, but-"

Tony cut him off, finally able to speak after the shock of everything. "But it's for Kate. This little girl deserves the world, and we're going to give it to her. Let's move, people."

Gibbs looked on, proudly, as Tony got everyone going.

Taking Abby by the arm, Gibbs said quietly, "It's going to be just fine, right?"

"It'll be perfect."

Abby grinned.


	4. Chapter 4

*NCIS*NCIS*

After sending the rest of the team their separate ways, Gibbs told Abby he would just be a minute, as he headed up to the Director's office.

He walked straight in, unannounced, as always. Jenny didn't even bother looking up, knowing that only one person would be so rude.

"What do you want, Jethro?" she asked, in her ever-exasperated tone.

When he didn't respond right away and with his usual sarcasm, she looked up.

"Jethro?"

Gibbs looked at the redhead across from him. There had been a point in time that he had hoped to be raising a child with her. The thought that it would never happen saddened him, and he was slightly taken aback at the fact that it still hurt after all this time.

Finally, he found his voice. "I, uh, have something to tell you."

Normally, she would have told him to spit it out, already, but something in his stance and tone told her to shut up. "What is it, Jethro?"

"Kate."

"Todd?"

"Yes."

"What about her?"

"She had a daughter."

"Really? I never knew, I'm sorry to hear that she left a child behind. Is she with her father?"

"No. She's, uh, she's with a friend of Kate's for now."

"I see. Jethro, why are you bringing this up?"

"Because. Kate's friend is leaving. I'm taking Kaye."

"Kaye being Kate's daughter, I assume? And what do you mean taking her?"

"She'll be living with me, Jen. I'm going to be her legal guardian."

Jenny jumped up from her seat. Jethro Gibbs taking on a child? He was good with children, for sure, but really?

"What?"

"I just thought you should know. I have to pick her up tomorrow morning. I'm taking Abby and DiNozzo with me. The team's going to help me set up as best we can tonight, but I need you to take us off rotation for a few days. I have to get some things in order, and I'm going to need their help."

Jenny stuttered, not knowing exactly how to respond to the situation. "O-of course, Jethro. Consider it done. Let me know if I can do anything to help. Do you need extra hands tonight?"

She was busy, but she would make time for him if necessary.

"Naw, I think I've got everything covered for tonight. Might need a woman who has a broader color scheme than black or tan tomorrow, though. I want to let her do up her room however she wants, but I'm not sure Abby or Ziva's tastes are really appropriate for an eight-year-old."

"I'll come in early tomorrow. What time do you want me at?"

If he hadn't have been so preoccupied with figuring out the giant turn his life had just taken, he would have smirked and made a comment.

Instead, he just responded, "I don't know, maybe around one? Take her home, drop of her stuff, introduce her to the team, take her out for lunch, and then pick you up?"

"I'll make it work, Jethro."

"Alright. Uh, thanks."

She moved around her desk and came up to him. He was strong, and confident, often to the point of being downright cocky, but she could see insecurities through the mask tonight. He stiffened as she came closer, but as she gently wrapped her arms around him, he melted a little bit.

"Whatever happens, I have faith that you will do just fine. She's in good hands with you, Jethro. I always knew you would make a good father."

*NCIS*NCIS*

It was nearly midnight when Gibbs and Abby made it back to his house. McGee was still sitting on the couch, chugging coffee, and typing furiously on his laptop. He looked up when the door opened.

"Hey. How'd you guys do?"

Abby smiled and hopped over to him. "Well, we didn't know what her favorite color or food was or anything, so we basically just bought stuff to get her through the first day or so. We're going to take her shopping tomorrow to get what she likes. Guess what I did find, though?"

McGee smirked tiredly at Abby's enthusiasm as she sat down practically on top of him. "What would that be?"

She shuffled through the large bag in front of her and pulled out a stuffed grey object. "It's Bertha!"

McGee burst out laughing as the grown woman in front of him made the brand new, pink bow-wearing, hippo, that was just slightly smaller than her own, fart loudly.

Gibbs looked on, smiling just a little, at Abby. She had always been his "little girl", but soon she would have to share that role, and he could see that she couldn't have been happier. As McGee offered to help bring in the groceries while Abby glanced over his research, Gibbs headed to dump several bags in the kitchen to be put away. There, he found Ducky sipping at a cup of tea.

"How's it going in there, Duck?"

Ducky looked up from the newspaper he had been perusing, and smiled at Gibbs. "Anthony was quiet at first, just moving the boxes. I had to explain to Ziva why. Once he had had some time to digest everything, though, the two of them were back to their usual bickering. I don't know how you put up with it. When I knew that they knew what to do, I finally left them to have some peace and quiet down here. Sometimes it seems as if you already have children around you, Jethro."

Gibbs let out a bark of laughter at Ducky's accurate observations. "That about covers it, Duck. Guess I won't be as out of practice as I thought."

"You'll do just fine, Jethro," Ducky mumbled as he pondered Gibbs' wording. Putting it off as nothing but an odd comment, he went back to the paper before him.

"This is it, Boss." McGee said as he brought in plenty more bags. "Where do you want all of this stuff?"

"Look around, McGee, you'll find places for it. I never have this much crap in my house. I'm going to go check up on Bonnie and Clyde up there to see how much trouble they've caused me."

McGee chuckled as he put away the Fruit Loops.

*NCIS*NCIS*

"Tony! Stop it! I don't want to smell like a spruce!" Ziva screeched.

"First off, it's PINE-sol, Ziva, so you'd smell like a pine. Second, you hit me with a rubber glove! Get over it!"

"You get over it, DiNozzo!"

Tony just turned away and smirked. She was definitely his favorite to pick on. With the exception of the failure at grasping American jargon, she often reminded him of another snarky woman from his life. He knew he couldn't wait to meet Kaye. He hoped she would resemble her mother. Kate had been more than a partner lost in the line of duty. She had been a friend. And deep beneath the partying, frat-boy exterior, some part of him had hoped that one day, they could have had a chance at being something more. But Kate was gone, and Ziva was here, and he was surrounded by friends that he cared deeply for. And tomorrow, well, tomorrow he would get to meet a little part of his fallen comrade, and be a part of her life for a long time.

He heard footsteps on the stairs that were too deliberate to be Ducky's or McGee's, so he went back to washing the windowsill. Part of him wondered about the faded pink hue of the room he was cleaning. Most of him knew not to ask.

"How's it going in here?" Gibbs deep voice rang out in the room. He stopped at the sight of the empty space. It had been a long time. The paint on the walls brought him back to a simpler, easier, time in his life. It hadn't been this clean since February of 1991. That thought gave him a pang in his chest. Well, the room would soon be full of life once again, and for that, he was grateful.

Ziva chirped up. "Almost done, Gibbs. Maybe just another vacuum and it'll be all ready for her."

"Yeah, Boss. Could use a bed, maybe a dresser. Definitely a new coat of paint or two, but I think it'll be perfect for a little girl soon enough." Tony said, that quiet, contemplative tone slipping back into his voice.

Ziva seemed to sense the mood shift and excused herself to go and check up on Ducky. Gibbs took the opportunity to speak to his oldest agent alone.

"I know you miss her, DiNozzo."

"I…she was my partner. Of course I miss her."

"Would you quit playin' games with me? I know what she meant to you. Whether you're ready to admit that to me, or even yourself, for that matter, I don't know. But I know that because of what Kate was to you, you will be an integral part in Kaye's life. I want you there for her, alright? Kate mentioned you, specifically, in the letter. She wants you to be there to protect Kaye. Be in her life. She's going to need all the family she can get. Anytime you want to see her, you're welcome to, alright?"

Tony looked up at his mentor, finally making eye contact. In a voice so low Gibbs had to strain to hear, he whispered, "Thanks, Boss. Means a lot."

And that was all that needed to be said.

*NCIS*NCIS*

Gibbs attempted to send everyone home by 0100, but neither Abby nor Tony would have any of it.

"Gibbs," she spouted. "We are picking her up in less than eight hours. Do you WANT us to scare her by looking like zombies because we had to drive all over the place just to get some sleep and be back in time?"

Tony smirked, but stayed silent. Abby was the favorite, he knew he was better off letting her fight this one for them both.

"Fine. Ziva, McGee, Ducky. Go home. Get some sleep. I've talked to the Director, already. We're off rotation for a few days, at least. Be here at, say, eleven, to meet her?"

They all agreed before saying their goodbyes and leaving. Once the rest were gone, he looked at the two who remained. It was true, out of all of the people in his life, these two seemed to stick. They were like kids that wouldn't grow up. He couldn't get rid of them if he tried. But he knew, he may not be able to keep going without them.

Tony immediately offered to take the floor so that Abby could have the single couch, but Gibbs stopped him.

"I'm going to go work on the boat. If I sleep, I'll take the couch. As long as you two can refrain from playing grab-ass in the middle of the night, you can share my bed. Or are you incapable?"

Abby grinned. "I'll keep my hands to myself, Gibbs!"

He looked to Tony. "Me, too. Scout's honor." Tony said while holding up a few fingers.

He shook his head and sent them up to sleep. As if he didn't know what they had gotten up to years ago. He was just glad that little phase had ended before Kate had come along. He had enough trouble keeping Tony's hands off of Kate, he didn't need to be separating him from Abby, as well. Now, it seemed, Tony was rather preoccupied with Ziva, and Abby and McGee were still doing their little post whatever-the-hell-that-was jealousy dance. He knew he had nothing to worry about.

As Gibbs descended the stairs into the basement, he glanced at the pile of boxes now taking up one corner of the room. His life was about to change, again. But maybe this time, it would be for the better.


	5. Chapter 5

Gibbs woke to a gentle voice calling his name. His back was stiff, but not too bad, so he knew he was on the couch. He just couldn't figure out why Abby was…and then it all came rushing back to him. Kaye.

"Gibbs, it's 7:30. You have to go shower and then we're picking up the lawyer and going to get Kaye. Tony and I are already showered and ready to go, and Tony's making breakfast. Jeez, Gibbs! You know you can't stay up late like this all the time when you have a kid in the house, right?"

If it had been anyone other than Abby, he probably would've smacked them for talking to him like that, but he just nodded and moved to get ready. As he showered, he went over the whole situation in his mind. In just over an hour, he would be signing the documents to become the legal guardian of an eight year old girl.

Eight years old. That's how old Kelly was the last time he saw her. This would all be new territory, even for him. He had cared deeply for Kate, and knew that he would love her little girl, as well, but how would she respond to him in the long run? Would they ever become some sort of a family, like he hoped? Or to Kaye, would he forever just be her dead mother's old boss? Gibbs continued down that path of thoughts as he dried off and dressed for the day. It wasn't until the three of them were climbing into his car, that his thoughts cleared.

Abby had noticed Gibbs' slowly darkening mood, and realized she needed to put an end to it. "Gibbs?"

He almost jumped at the break in silence. "Yeah, Abbs."

"It's going to be just fine."

Just fine. He smiled. Those words had been ringing out all night from those around him. Maybe it was time to believe them.

*NCIS*NCIS*

Kaye's life hadn't exactly been normal before her mom had died. With the exception of the hours she spent in school every week, she was always with adults. Even her school was weird. She had excelled in pre-school and kindergarten, causing the principal of that school to recommend her to a "school for the gifted". In other words, she was either with people more than three times her age, or with nerds. The only good thing about her school was the fact that it actually challenged her. She got to use a computer constantly. By seven, she had far outdone her mother in that area.

She loved being at home, though. She would spend countless hours listening to her mom's stories of danger and intrigue from her days with the Secret Service and NCIS. Her stories were always slightly altered, of course. Kate didn't always have the most time to spend with Kaye, but she did her best, and she was a great mom. Kaye always knew that she was loved, and that was all she needed.

And having Roxy around was fun. Though sometimes Kaye felt like she was the one doing the babysitting, she found Roxy's artsy, wild side fun and entertaining. While her mom's stories were realistic and thrilling, Roxy's tales were bright, colorful, and almost wicked in nature.

But now, everything had changed. She remembered the day that Roxy picked her up from school in the middle of the day. Her mom always worked during the daytime, and Roxy was usually busy during school hours. It unnerved her when Roxy came to her classroom door and quietly told her to grab her things.

On the car ride home that day, only a few months back, now, Roxy finally pulled the car over when she could no longer hold in her tears. Kaye knew it could only be one of a few things, and they were all bad.

Roxy had slowly, through her sobs, explained what she knew of Kate's fate. A guy who had been after her for a while, now, had done the unthinkable. He had shot and killed Kate.

Any other adult talking to a child would have sugar-coated the situation. But not for Kaye. Kaye knew the terminology. She understood that her mother had been murdered in cold blood. Shot by a sniper from across several rooftops.

She also knew she would never see her mother again. Because of Kate's relationship with her family, Kaye was a secret. Kaye knew that. And she knew that she would not attend her mother's funeral. She had told her mother, "I love you", for the last time.

But that was months ago. She and Roxy had moved on; at least as much as one can move on from something like that. Kaye was smart, though. As time went on, she watched the reality of being a parent, rather than some odd form of an aunt, sink into Roxy's mind. She was no longer fun. She was stressed all the time. She knew it wouldn't last.

So when Roxy had announced that they were going to meet the famous "Gibbs", Kaye hadn't been as shocked as one might think an eight year old little girl would be.

Today would be the day. She knew that if she ever saw Roxy again, it would be a long time from now. Kaye would be living a different life; a life with people she didn't know, except through her mom's stories, and a life away from all she had ever known.

Roxy was still sleeping at 8:30 that morning. Kaye finally woke her once she had eaten and gotten dressed for the day. As Roxy scrambled to get ready before nine, Kaye placed her most beloved belongings into the last box.

The doorbell rang at 8:53.

*NCIS*NCIS*

After a very short conversation with Roxy, Gibbs directed Tony and Abby to help move the boxes out to the car. There weren't many, as most of Kate's belongings were in storage across the city. Gibbs went up to Kaye's room to gauge how she was doing.

"Kaye?" He asked as he knocked on her doorframe.

She looked up. He could see a twinge of sadness and fear in her eyes, but it was nearly drown out by a determination he recognized that came straight from Kate.

"I'm ready."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Just get me out of here."

He nodded, lifting her prized box with care, as he followed her down the stairs.

When Kaye and Gibbs got downstairs, a collective gasp from Tony and Abby could be heard, and was silenced by a quick glare from Gibbs.

Abby had tears in her eyes. Standing before her, was Kate in miniature form. Long, chestnut brown hair fell around a sweet, round face. She had deep, chocolate eyes, that seemed to see all and know all. And when Kaye had decided they'd gawked at her long enough, her mother's trademark eyebrow quirked.

And that, that was when Tony laughed. He laughed hard. She was so Kate, it hurt. But it hurt in a good way. And when he laughed, Kaye knew, this was the Tony her mom loved to talk about. That was the Abby who got her mom to get a tattoo. These were the people that her mom loved so much. And if her mom loved and trusted them, maybe it would be okay for her to do the same.

*NCIS*NCIS*


	6. Chapter 6

As Gibbs spoke with the lawyer and took care of all of the paperwork, Roxy and Kaye said their short goodbyes. When Kaye was finished with Roxy, she looked over to Abby and Tony, who were waiting slightly impatiently by Abby's hearse. In some ways, she felt like a fish in a bowl, but she guessed she understood. These people loved her mom, and she was a piece of Kate. With a confidence no eight year old should have, she strolled over to them.

"I'm Kaye, and you can stop staring. I know I look like my mom." She stated with a straight face.

Tony and Abby were taken aback for a moment, before Kaye smiled warmly. Abby grinned and bent down a little to Kaye's level.

"I'm Abby. I'm the science chick at NCIS."

"I know. Mom talked about you a lot." Kaye said with a smile. Mischievously, she continued, "You got her to get the tattoo. It was SO cool!"

Abby laughed. Yep, she would have no problem getting along with this kid.

"I got something for you. I don't know how much your mom told you about me, but I have something that means a lot to me. And, well, I thought maybe you needed something to start this phase of your life with. Something that'll welcome you to the team." She said with a wink.

"What is it?" Kaye asked, excitedly. Tony stood, still mostly speechless, smiling down at his former partner's clone.

Abby leaned into the window of the car and retrieved a purple and black gift bag, and handed it to Kaye. Tearing into the present, Kaye gasped when she saw what it was.

"Is…Bert!"

Abby grinned with pride. "So your mom did tell you lots about us!"

"YEAH she did! Does he…I mean…she?" Abby nodded.

"I figured, maybe Bertha was an appropriate name…"

Kaye squeezed the hippo and squealed in delight at the rude noise it made. "Bertha's perfect!"

Gibbs chuckled as he heard the sound from across the driveway. He was happy they were getting along well. After all, these were now his two most important girls.

Kaye finally turned toward Tony. She grabbed his hand and dragged him around to the opposite side of the car. He glanced worriedly at Abby, but she just smiled in return and nodded encouragingly.

"What's up, Bella?"

She gave him a confused look.

"Sorry. Bella. It's Italian. Means beautiful. I, uh…was kind of a secret nickname I had for your mom."

"She knew, you know."

Tony swallowed roughly, an unexplained lump forming in his throat. "What?"

"Mom. She knew you liked her. Said you used to flirt with her a lot. Said you party too much, though."

Tony looked away.

"But she also said you were really sweet underneath everything. She talked about you a lot. You made her smile."

With tears threatening to spill out of his eyes, he crouched down to Kaye. "You have no idea what that means to me, Kaye. Your mom was one special lady, and I miss her very much. You have a lot of her in you, and I don't just mean your looks. I hope that somehow, we can be friends."

Kaye just smiled at him and nodded. Then, with a forceful hug around his neck that he wasn't prepared for, she spouted, "But don't ever call me Bella again."

He laughed heartily, his sadness magically disappearing. "Sure thing, Bell."

Yes. She was her mother's daughter.

*NCIS*NCIS*

With the papers all signed, the lawyer was on his way, stating that because of the way that Kate had handled everything, nothing more needed to be done, and Kaye was his. He thanked the man and turned to take his crew home.

An actual, very un-Gibbs-like grin broke out across his face when he saw Kaye on Tony's back, clutching Abby's gift, laughing at something the Goth had said. She would fit in just fine.

With a final goodbye to Roxy, Gibbs sent Tony and Abby along in Abby's car, telling them that he and Kaye would be along shortly in his. Kaye was admittedly a little nervous. While Abby dressed weirdly, she was happy and fun, just like Tony. They weren't scary at all. But Gibbs, well, Gibbs was a different story. She knew he wasn't mean, but he was intimidating. He spent a lot of time just staring silently. It didn't seem normal.

"You all buckled up?" Gibbs asked, while simultaneously checking Kaye's seatbelt.

"Yep." She murmured.

For the first few minutes, the ride was painfully silent. Kaye finally spoke up.

"Do you actually ever talk for more than five seconds?"

That was all it took. Gibbs let out a laugh. "Sometimes. Usually I have to waste all my breath on DiNozzo. He never shuts up. I'm either silent, or I'm trying to talk over him."

Kaye giggled. "Yeah, mom said he talks a lot. He seems nice, though."

"He is. Just don't let him near any of your single teachers."

Another brief moment passed, this time in a more comfortable silence.

"So, Kaye, tell me about yourself. What's your favorite color? What do you like to do in your spare time?"

"I like to read. And write. Oh, and I draw. I got that from mom. My favorite colors are purple and turquoise, and I'm kind of a geek."

"A geek? You haven't met Tim yet."

"I just mean…I go to that special school."

"I know. Who says that makes you a geek? Just makes you smart. Abby's smart, and she's not exactly what I would call a geek."

Kaye laughed. "No, I guess not."

"So, who are your friends?"

Kaye was quiet for a second. "I don't really have any. I mean, there are people I spend time with when I'm at school, but I always just hung out with Mom and Roxy and their friends. I like adults. Kids are boring."

He laughed. "Well, I'm going to take you to meet the rest of the team-Ziva and McGee, Ducky and Palmer. Drop off the last of your stuff at my place, go for lunch, and then a very good friend of mine, Jenny, is going to help us go shopping for your room, okay?"

"I get to pick out stuff for my room?" Kaye asked, excitedly.

"It's a blank canvas, all for you. No paint, no decorations, no furniture. You and Jenny can pick it all, okay?"

"Cool! Thanks, Gibbs!" She paused, contemplating something. "Wait, is that what I'm supposed to call you? Gibbs?"

"Well, the full name's Leroy Jethro Gibbs. My father's the only one who can still get away with Leroy, very few still call me Jethro. Mostly, I'm Gibbs. You can call me whatever you want."

She thought for a moment. Maybe one day, whether he liked it or not, she'd even call him Dad. But for now, "Gibbs works."

"Gibbs it is."


	7. Chapter 7

Kaye continued to tell Gibbs little bits about her life with Kate and Roxy. He was surprised at how open and comfortable she already seemed. When he lightly questioned her on it, she replied with simple logic.

"Mom loved you guys and she trusted you. So you are obviously okay. If mom liked you, I like you. End of story."

He smiled at her Kate-ness. Kate had always been straight and to the point, as well,

"So, we're going to NCIS. You can get a look at where your mom spent so much of the last two years. You'll probably end up around there a lot. I'll introduce you to McGee, Ducky, and Palmer, who all worked with your mom. You'll meet Ziva, too. She's new-"

Kaye cut him off, speaking softly, now. "Ziva took mom's place, didn't she?"

Gibbs pulled the car off to the side of the road and turned his attention completely on her. This was important. "NOBODY could ever replace your mom. Caitlin Todd was a talented agent, and an incredibly special woman. She was unique, and held her own place on the team-a place that will always be empty. It's a place that Ziva can't fill. Ziva is her own person, with her own role on the team."

He chose to leave Ziva's origins out of the conversation. He hoped that Kaye and Ziva would have a chance to bond before Kaye found out about Ari.

Kaye was still awfully quiet, so Gibbs reached over and touched her hand. She looked up into his mysterious blue eyes. "I miss my mom. I don't always show it 'cause she always taught me to be strong, but I do miss her a lot."

"I'll tell you a secret. I miss her, too. A lot more than I'll ever show. Your mom meant a lot to me. She meant a lot to all of us. You'll find that with Abby, especially. If you ever need to talk about your mom, go find Abby. Abby looked at your mom like a big sister. Kate was so good with her. Abby will be able to tell you stories that I'm sure I'm better off living without." He said with a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

He got the response he desired when Kaye let out a light laugh. "Okay. Let's go meet everyone. Do I get to meet Jen-ny?" She snickered.

Gibbs rolled his eyes as he pulled back into traffic. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that I haven't even met Jenny yet, and Jenny's the one that's going to go shopping with us, and Jenny's going to help with my room. Not Abby, not Ziva, not even Tony, who seems like he would know about decorating stuff."

Gibbs knew he was in trouble with this one. "Tony would fill your room with James Bond posters and he'd try to dress you in Hawaiian shirts like that Magnum guy. Ziva's color choices are limited to black, tan, and dark tan, and there's no way in hell that I'm letting Abby run loose with her styles in an eight year old's bedroom. You do not need to try to go to sleep with a glow in the dark skull alarm clock beside your bed."

Kaye laughed throughout his explanation. "Okay, and what's so great about Jenny's style? Isn't she just another boring adult?"

"I wouldn't say that. She's just slightly more of a normal American woman."

"Fine. Jen-ny it is."

Oh, was he in deep.

*NCIS*NCIS*

When they finally arrived at NCIS, Gibbs took Kaye straight up to the bullpen to meet McGee and Ziva. Ziva was away from her desk, but McGee was working away behind his computer screen. He was concentrating so hard that he didn't even notice them come in.

"Hey! Ma-Gee!"

Tim jumped in his seat. He hated it when they did that. "Hey, Boss! What's…oh, hi."

Gibbs looked down at the small brunette beside him. She looked up and he nodded for her to go and talk to McGee. She walked over to McGee's desk, and stuck out her hand. McGee took it as she spoke.

"Hi. I'm Kaye. You knew my mother."

"Kaye, it's really great to meet you. Your, uh, mom…she was awesome. I miss her more than I ever thought I would. She was nice, and accepting of me, when I was new. I'm looking forward to getting to know you."

Kaye smiled sweetly, and motioned for him to come down to her level. He obeyed and crouched down. Kaye whispered in his ear. "Don't worry. I'll help you get back at Tony."

He stood up in surprise, a mild blush to his cheeks. "Uh, thanks?"

She nodded, then turned back to Gibbs and took his hand for the first time. He glanced down with a gentle smile at the action. "So? Which one was mom's desk?"

Gibbs led her over to what was now Ziva's workspace. Kaye trailed her fingers along the edge of the desk. Yes, it had once been Kate's place, but already, Kaye could sense it was no longer hers.

Just then, Ziva came around the corner. She stopped in her tracks, watching with sadness as Kaye inspected her desk, clearly hoping for traces of her mother. Ziva hoped that she and Kaye could have a good relationship. She had never known Kate, and although she had been upset that Ari had gone rogue and killed innocents, she never quite felt the pain of that loss until now. Now, she watched a sweet little child grasping at thin air for traces of her fallen mother. Ari had murdered this beautiful girl's mother, and she, herself, had taken the open spot on the team left by Kate's death.

Ziva never cried. It was against everything in her life-long training. But the reality of this situation; the hopeful gaze that Kaye was giving Gibbs; it hit her in a place she never knew existed. Deep in her heart, something cracked-something melted. She didn't even know she was crying until Gibbs looked up, told McGee to take Kaye for some juice at the vending machines, and moved over in front of her. She didn't know how much of a mess she had become until Gibbs, the man who never wanted her on the team in the first place, pulled her into a gentle embrace. She quickly wiped away her tears.

"I guess it is time for me to meet Kate's daughter." She said quietly.

"Guess so."

They met McGee and Kaye in the snack room, and Ziva almost timidly introduced herself.

"Hello, Kaye. My name is Ziva David. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Kaye tilted her head at her for a moment, before reaching out and shaking Ziva's outstretched hand.

"Hi." Kaye didn't know what else to say to the woman she knew nothing about. When Ziva looked somewhat sad at Kaye's limited reaction, Kaye called out to her once again.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Ziva. I hope you can be my friend." She said with a little smile.

Ziva responded with a 1000 watt grin.

*NCIS*NCIS*


	8. Chapter 8

Gibbs decided it was finally time for Kaye to meet Jenny, so he took her hand and lead her up the stairs in the bullpen. Kaye laughed as he walked straight past Cynthia, paying her no attention, whatsoever, and burst into Jenny's office unannounced. With the way that both Cynthia, and now Jenny, reacted, this was clearly a common occurrence.

"Jethro! How many times must I remind you that my door is just that-a door, and it should be TREATED as such?" The fiery redhead scolded from behind her desk without looking up.

"Jen, would you put down the damn paperwork for two seconds and look at me? I have someone for you to meet."

Immediately, Jenny dropped what she was doing and glanced up to see a sight she had only seen a handful of times in her life; it was a scene she had always wanted to see more of. Leroy Jethro Gibbs holding hands with a child, looking every bit the doting father. It was a sight that warmed her heart.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to get used to Gibbs' rudeness. My name is Jenny Shepard, and it is a pleasure to meet you, Kaye."

Kaye grinned at their antics. Yup, they so had it bad for each other. Letting go of Gibbs' hand, she went over and shook Jenny's.

"Nice to meet you, too," Kaye said, pausing only for a second, before continuing in a playful tone. "…Jen-ny."

She looked back to Gibbs as she said this, earning her first glare, which only made her laugh harder.

"Gibbs likes you, you know."

Jenny met Gibbs eyes, laughing mischievously. "Is that so?"

Kaye left the question hanging in the air. "Can I look around your office?"

"Sure, sweetheart, just don't touch any of my papers, okay?"

"Mmkay."

Jenny moved over to Gibbs, and together they watched the curious little girl search the office.

"She's a lot like you, Jethro. Bold, with an attitude."

"She's not like me, Jen, she can't be. She isn't mine, no matter how much I might wish she was. She's Kate's. And she's like Kate. She has Kate's heart."

"Of course she's like Kate, Jethro. But believe it or not, I see you in her. You may not be her biological father, but it's like you've already been in her life, influencing her. Maybe you have more of an impact on your agents than you think you do."

Gibbs contemplated that idea for a moment while keeping his eyes trained on the little girl in front of him. Could Kate have somehow transferred things she'd learned from him to her daughter?

Jenny broke the elongated silence. "Well, I think that Kaye and I need to have a talk about what kinds of things we're looking for for this new bedroom of hers."

Kaye looked up excitedly.

Gibbs spoke. "Well, I don't think I need to be around to listen to a conversation about how many flowers you want on your walls, so I'll leave you two to it. Kaye, you going to be alright without me?"

"Of course!" She replied quickly. But, as Gibbs reached the door to leave, "Wait, where will you be…in case we need to ask you a question?"

Gibbs and Jenny shared a gentle look, acknowledging Kaye's veiled nervousness.

"I'll be right downstairs at my desk. I don't need to hear anything about purple flowers or lace curtains. Just tell me what furniture we need to buy and put together. And Jen-I am already down two arms and a leg in alimony, let's not lose me that last leg, alright?"

Jenny laughed. "We wouldn't want that, now would we? What would you have left for wife number four?"

He snarled as he walked away, Kaye chuckling in a way that reminded him far too much of Kate in the background. These two would clearly be the death of him. Great, and just wait for them to join forces with Abby.

Women. He was doomed.

*NCIS*NCIS*

"So, Kaye, talk to me. What colors are we looking for? Or do you want to go with some movie theme?"

Jenny sat at her desk, Kaye (surprisingly…she was already this comfortable?) on her lap, looking at the computer screen in front of them. Jenny had pulled up the web pages for her favorite home décor stores in the area. They were pre-shopping for everything an eight year old girl could ever want in a room: furniture, paint, art, bedding…everything.

Kaye was thrilled.

Most of her belongings had been sold when Kate died. There was no room for all of her stuff at Roxy's, and what was left of Kate's took up almost the whole storage locker across town. With the exception of a bin of toys and some old baby clothes, Kaye's only belongings were in the small amount of boxes that Tony and Abby had dropped off at Gibbs' house that morning.

Kaye didn't know it yet, but Jenny was planning on spoiling her completely rotten. Even if she had to pay for all of the crazy toys herself, Kaye's room would be filled with everything a child could want.

"Purple and turquoise. Not green-ey turquoise, though. More of a blue-ish turquoise. And dark purple."

"What else do you like?"

"Bright things," She grinned, looking back at Jenny. "and big flowers. Daisies. And I always…never mind."

Jenny urged her on. "Tell me what it is, Kaye."

"One of those princess beds. One with the big lace canopy. Our house was never big enough for one."

"I guess we'll have to see what we can do." Jenny smiled softly, taking a risk and hugging the girl to her. She was blissfully surprised when Kaye pressed back into her softly.

Kaye's life hadn't been normal. Her mother didn't work a safe job. Her way of life had always been insecure. But Kate had been the constant. In the back of her mind, Kaye knew that she could lose her mother at any moment. In her eyes, Caitlin Todd was a superhero. She protected the world from the bad guys for her daughter.

When Kate had died, Kaye had not been as shocked as she maybe should have been. She missed her mother desperately, but she had known it was a possibility all along.

Kate had been the stability in Kaye's young life. She always answered her cell phone. She spent every second that she wasn't at NCIS with Kaye. Kate gave her whole heart to her little girl, and Kaye knew it.

Roxy was a good family friend. She was like a fun, yet distant aunt.

Sitting there in Jenny's lap, knowing that Gibbs, a man who already cared deeply about her was waiting for her downstairs, Kaye felt more secure and at home than she had since her mother had passed away.

She was home again.


	9. Chapter 9

About half an hour later, Jenny called down to Gibbs as she sent Kaye downstairs. She instructed him to go and take her to meet Ducky, and Palmer, if he was there, while she finished a few things before lunch.

Kaye wandered across the catwalk and looked down on the bullpen. There Gibbs sat, talking on the phone, playing with a pen on his desk. Next to him sat Ziva, at Kate's old desk. She was bent over her computer, obviously trying to get something done while dodging the paper balls Tony kept tossing at her from behind his desk. Kaye grinned. Guess this meant Abby was back, too. She laughed at Tony's antics. Glancing over at McGee, she noticed that every few seconds, he'd look up and smirk. Clearly, he was just happy to be out of Tony's firing range for the moment. When she looked back on Gibbs, he was staring up at her, a smile just barely tugging at the corners of his mouth. Kaye quickly skipped down the stairs to join them.

"Bella! How was your meeting with Madame Director?" He paused, as she came closer. He whispered, "Did she try to eat you alive?"

Kaye laughed at Tony, before climbing up onto his desk. "No. Jenny's very nice. She's going to take me shopping."

"Is that SO?"

Kaye whipped her head around to grin conspiratorially toward the ever-glaring Gibbs. "Shut it, DiNozzo. Or does your head need to become even more acquainted with my hand?"

Tony straightened up and pretended to get back to work.

"Alright little girl, I have someone who is pretty anxious to meet you downstairs. You ready to meet Ducky?"

Kaye hopped over to him, immediately grabbing Gibbs hand and yanking. "Yes! Mom told me about Ducky. She said he tells lots and lots of stories. I really like stories."

Gibbs chuckled, (yes, chuckled! And the whole team noticed!) and lead her in the direction of autopsy. He had already called down to make sure there wasn't anything truly scarring down there at the moment, and Ducky said it was a straight-up, backlogged, paperwork day, so all was well for her visit.

Gibbs began to explain autopsy to Kaye as they made their way down.

"There are some rules about autopsy, okay? You are never to go down their without me, Tony, Ziva, Abby, McGee, Ducky, Palmer, or Jenny. Got it?"

"Yes, Gibbs."

"Do you know what autopsy is for?"

"Yeah, Gibbs. I'm not four. Jeez! It's where you cut up the dead bodies to find out what happened to them."

Gibbs coughed roughly. "Uh, yeah. That's the crude way of putting it. Ducky is the medical examiner. He's in charge down there. Palmer's his assistant."

"Got it."

"Alright. Here we are. Don't touch anything."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

As they exited the elevator, Gibbs rolled his eyes. Yupp, definitely Kate's.

The autopsy doors swished open, and Kaye could see an older man hunched over a desk on the side of the room.

"Ahh, that must be Miss Kaye," he said as he put down what he was working on and stood up. As he turned around, he continued. "I have been expecting you, my…my DEAR!"

Kaye smiled timidly. This seemed to be the reaction she was going to get from everyone who knew her mother.

"You are most definitely Caitlin's girl, aren't you?"

"That's what she told me all these years." Kaye said, smiling at the kind old man. "I'm Kaye, and I'm very glad to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine, dear. I have so much I could tell you about the short time I spent in the company of your mother. She was a fiery one, I must say. Kept Anthony in line quite well." He chuckled. "There was this one time…"

"Duck," Gibbs interrupted. "This is a quick meeting, alright? You can have time to chat when I'm not around sometime later."

"Of course, Jethro. Well, it was wonderful to meet you, Kaye. I hope to see you very soon."

Before Kaye could say anything, Gibbs cut in yet again. "You will. Lunch in 30 at the diner down the street. Everyone will be there."

"Sure thing, Jethro. I'll just pack up things, here."

"Where's Palmer?" Gibbs asked.

"I sent him up to Abby with some evidence, and then he was supposed to be going to get some papers signed by you, actually. He probably got held up in the lab, again."

"Right. See you in a few."

Kaye quickly hugged a surprised, but thrilled, Ducky, and then ran to catch up with Gibbs. As she bolted into the elevator behind him, she reached up and grabbed his hand.

"Where to, now, Gibbs?"

"We're going to Abby's lab." He said as he flipped open his cell.

*NCIS*NCIS*

When the elevator doors opened, Kaye bolted out toward the overwhelmingly loud music emanating from Abby's lab.

"Abby?" She yelled over the noise.

"Kaye! Hey! What are you doing down here?" Abby asked after shutting off the music.

Behind Abby stood an awkward-looking younger man. Gibbs walked in.

"Here to meet Palmer. And get him BACK ON TRACK."

Jimmy winced at his tone.

As Abby and Gibbs spoke in another corner of the room, Kaye walked over to Palmer and stuck out her small hand. "Hi. I'm Kaye."

"I'm Jimmy…Palmer…you can call me whichever."

After a few seconds' pause, Kaye spoke again. "What, you're not going to gawk and say I look like my mom?"

"I-uh, didn't really know your mom too well. I guess you do look like her, though. Is, uh, that what you wanted to hear?"

Kaye laughed. "Actually, it's kinda nice. Everyone I meet keeps staring at me. I'm not my mom."

"Well," he responded, as he crouched down. "I suppose that because they all knew your mom pretty well, and they miss her a lot, they see you as a connection to her. They've barely talked about her since they caught her killer, and now they have you. I guess, to them, you are a piece of your mom that they still get to see every day. I think you're kind of like a miracle to them."

"Hmmm. I guess being a miracle's not so bad." Kaye said with a grin. "Well, it was nice to meet you, but you should probably get back to work. Gibbs seemed pretty serious about that."

"Yeah. He's uh, pretty much always like that."

"Not with me so far."

"Consider yourself lucky."

As Gibbs glared over once more, Jimmy grabbed his papers and handed them to Gibbs. He quickly signed them, and sent Jimmy on his way. As he left, Gibbs shouted, "Lunch. Go with Ducky."

Jimmy quickly nodded and climbed into the elevator.

When Gibbs glanced back, the sight before him warmed his heart. There they were-his two girls-giggling and chatting like they had always known each other.

Kaye would fit in just fine with their little makeshift family; he had no doubt.


	10. Chapter 10

After an entertaining lunch, Gibbs and Jenny sent the rest of the team home to sleep and took Kaye shopping on their own, much to Abby's dismay. Gibbs could see that the team was exhausted. The only consolation Gibbs would give her was that she could come straight over to his place as soon as she had slept for at least a good four to six hours.

Jenny had written out a list of places she wanted to take Kaye on their little shopping trip. Gibbs had taken one look at it and rolled his eyes. He immediately made Jenny cut the list in half, going from six separate stores to three.

For the first hour or so of the trip, Kaye had remained rather quiet, not wanting to ask for too much. Her mother hadn't been a wasteful person, always wanting to save as much money as she could for Kaye's future, and Roxy just hadn't had the money to spend. As they walked past the seventh bedroom furniture set, Gibbs finally stopped them.

"Kaye, have you seen anything you've liked so far?" He asked as he crouched down to her level.

"Uhm, I guess so, yeah…" she trailed off.

Jenny became worried, as well, and spoke. "Kaye, sweetheart, we want you to choose whatever you'd like. This is going to be your bedroom. We want you to make it your own."

Kaye still looked a little nervous. She looked at the ground and mumbled, "I just don't want to pick something too expensive."

Gibbs quickly reached across and tipped the girl's chin up. "It's never your job to worry about money. Got it? That's my job. Your job is to pick out whatever you think would look good in your bedroom."

Kaye smiled in return and nodded. As Gibbs straightened up, she grabbed not only his hand, but Jenny's, as well, skipping along between them.

*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*

Four hours, three stores, and a painful credit card bill later, Gibbs pulled in with a truckload of furniture, linens, electronics, and toys, all suited for an eight year old girl. Jenny and Kaye ran to the house, giggling like little children, both of them, along the way. As Jenny swung the unlocked door open, he smiled on, thrilled at how well they were getting along, and made a mental note that it was time to start locking that door, again. With the exception of the nights that Abby slept over, he hadn't had a good reason to lock that door in years, but he sure did, now.

Throughout the shopping trip, he had begun to take in little bits of information about Kaye. She wasn't just smart for her age; she had a noticeable maturity about her, as well. She was outgoing toward himself, Jenny, and obviously, the team, but she knew not to be so friendly to strangers. She seemed, so far, a generally happy child, and loved things that one would expect an eight year old girl to love, but she hated things that were too girly, especially pink. She had energy - that was for sure. He would have to get used to that again.

Kaye took after her mother in more ways than he had originally thought. She was artsy, begging for an easel and paints. He just couldn't say no to that face. Another thing she had in common with her mother. On the job, Kate was part of the team, and he treated her as such, but in the few times that the team had spent together outside of work in the two years that Kate had been with them, he found himself unable to deny her. She was a sweet woman, and though he was sure Abby wondered, he could never and would never be able to put his finger on how he saw her.

Abby was his daughter, Tony his son. Tim was still rather distant, but he saw him stepping into a role similar to Tony's one day. Kate, however, Kate wasn't romantic, but she wasn't quite a daughter or sister, either. Watching her daughter, now, he didn't feel the need to try and define how he had seen Kate.

"Gibbs, can we paint my room, now? Pleeeeeeease?" Kaye begged.

"Sorry, kiddo. We can set your bed up, but I think you'll have to wait until the weekend for the painting to happen. The team can come over and help, but I don't want you in there with all of the fumes."

"But," Kaye turned and looked at Jenny. "Aren't you his boss? Can't you give them all the day off? Please? Please, please please!"

Gibbs rolled his eyes.

"Actually, Jethro. I think she's right. Your team doesn't need to stick around for the rest of the week. I already have you all off rotation, except Abby, of course. But if she can find someone that she won't complain about to replace her for the rest of the week, I think I can spring you all. I can even come in in the evenings."

"Yay! Awesome!" Kay screeched, causing both adults to wince. She ran over to hug Jenny.

Gibbs smirked. "You sure, Jen?"

Catching the girl in a hug, she smiled genuinely. "Yes, of course. Call your team, let them know that the big bad Madame Director is setting them loose."

As Kaye let go of Jenny, she started skipping around the room, searching through all of the bags excitedly.

"Naw, you can be the hero. You let them all know. Tell DiNozzo, McGee, and Ziva that they can go home and change, and then I want them here to get painting. We might as well get this done tonight, if possible."

"Alright. I'll head back to the office and let them know. I'll stop by tonight?" she asked, unsure.

"Yeah. Can you tell Abby to pick up our steak night usuals? She'll know what you mean. Tell her to get enough for 9 or 10."

"Sure. See you later. Bye Kaye!"

"Bye, Jenny! See you at dinnertime!"

Jenny smiled as she closed the front door behind her.

Gibbs turned to Kaye.

"Well, little girl, I guess it's just you and I now. What would you like to do?"

Kaye hummed and hawed for a moment. "Can we set up my bed and dresser and stuff? I know it has to go in the middle of the room until it's all painted, but then it will be all ready to go when it's done! Then can we watch a movie?"

Gibbs smiled. He was glad that Jenny had talked him into getting one of those DVD players. And he still had that big TV down in the basement that Abby and Tony had gotten him last Christmas. He let them pull it up when they were over, but it was otherwise unused. His usual TV was so old it didn't even have a hookup for one of those contraptions, but he figured it was about time he pulled the newer one up for good. He now had an eight year old girl who loved movies almost as much as Tony did. They had picked up a few discs while they were out, but he figured that he'd let Tony take her shopping for more. As it was, he was now the ever so proud owner of some fish film about finding a Nemo, whatever the hell that was, The Parent Trap, and not even the one that Kelly had once liked – it was some new thing with a couple of redheaded kids, and something called Toy Story.

"Alright, we can do that. Let's go up to your new room. You can figure out where you want to put everything. Then we'll move the good TV up and I'll set you up with a movie while I start building your furniture. The team should be over not too long from now, and we'll all have dinner together. Sound good?"

"Yep!"

As Gibbs lead the way up the stairs, his stomach began to knot just the smallest bit. He realized that this was going to be the first time since Kelly had been killed that a child would be in that room. He was sure that the pink hue of the walls had probably raised questions from the team, but he also knew they were smart enough to keep their traps shut. Now another little girl was going to make memories in the room at the end of the hall. While he wished Kelly had been the one to call it hers all of these years, he was happy that Kaye would make it all her own, now.

He snapped out of his thoughts as they reached the door.

"Is that it, Gibbs?" Kaye asked, looking at the door he had stopped in front of.

"Sure is. Go ahead, check out your new space."

Kaye grinned. She had had a nice room with her mom, but Roxy's house was tiny, and her room had been Roxy's old office. It was a simple tan color, and there was only one very small window. It barely fit her bed and a few toys, too.

Kaye opened the door, in awe at what her eyes were taking in. It was beautiful! And so big! There would be plenty of room for her princess bed, her dresser, her brand new desk, a couple of bookshelves, and all the toys she could imagine! She stepped into the room. Okay, the pink had to go, but other than that it really was awesome! The door was on the left side of the room, right in the middle. That wall and the one parallel were quite long, much longer than the other two, forming a nice, rectangular room. Directly across from the door was a large window seat set right into the wall. It had a faded cream and pink patterned pillow on it, and cream lace curtains hung from all of the windows. Looking to her left, she saw the second window, a smaller one this time. To her right was a blank wall. As she went farther into the room toward the smaller window, she found a small walk in closet, painted a faded purple inside. She ran out of the closet screeching at Gibbs seconds later.

"Gibbs! Gibbs! What's that little door in there?!"

Gibbs thought for a second. Little door…in the closet? Oh RIGHT!

"Sorry, I forgot about that. That used to be…" he paused. He wasn't sure he wanted to tell her all about Kelly, yet. "That's a secret room. You can use it, but I need to clean it out first. I'll do it when I set up your bed. It's all yours, though. It can be a clubhouse, or secret hideout, if you'd like."

"That's so cool! I have a treehouse in my room!"

Gibbs laughed at that. All of the things that he thought he'd never do again, such as building a treehouse in the backyard, hanging a tire swing, buying Cinderella dolls…here he was, all these years later, right back where he had been before. While he knew that he was probably still in a state of shock, he was truly happy to have the chance to be a father, again.


	11. Chapter 11

Two days of sleeping on the couch and being banned from her new room had made Kaye antsy at best. She was bored with the couple of movies that she and Jenny had picked out, and even games that Abby had downloaded onto her laptop for Kaye were getting boring. The only good thing had been that the whole team was constantly around. She had gotten to know most of them a little better. Abby and Tony were pretty easy. They had been closest to her mom, so they seemed the most interested in spending time with her. McGee had been shyer, it seemed. He would come and talk to her only when she was alone or with Abby. Ducky didn't really like to talk with her, he just liked to tell stories, which for the most part, was fine with her. Ziva had been giving Kaye a pretty wide berth, though. She even seemed to avoid eye contact at times. Kaye would catch Ziva looking at her, but the minute she noticed, Ziva would look away.

Tony was simple. Well, on the surface, anyways. On the outside, it was movies, jokes, and girls. On the inside, though, she suspected, there was a lot more.

Abby loved everything. She loved science, of course. She loved her family in New Orleans, and her family at NCIS. She loved animals, church, the nuns, and bowling. She loved to make up stories about Bert and Bertha, and she loved to hang out with Kaye. Kaye appreciated that Abby never talked down to her like she was a child.

McGee liked computers, and he was hopelessly in love with Abby. That was all that Kaye had really figured out about him so far.

Gibbs and Jenny were like an old married couple who kind of hated each other even though they loved each other. They fought like cats and dogs some times, but others, Kaye would catch them so close that if caught, they looked like kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Gibbs was the clear father figure to Tony and Abby, especially. Tim kind of looked at him like he was either scared or in awe of his mentor. And Ziva clearly hadn't fully found her place on the team, yet. Gibbs was fiercely protective. Abby had mentioned an ex-boyfriend at one point, and Kaye could see the steam coming out of Gibbs' ears. Plus, before she had been allowed to go to bed on the first night, Gibbs had gone and bought, and installed, a second deadbolt for the front door, along with one for the back door. She understood safety, but two deadbolts and a handle lock on each door was a bit of overkill. Jenny was spunky and fierce. She knew how to get her way, especially with Gibbs, but it never happened without a fight. More often than not, you could hear the two of them bickering about anything and everything. Most of the time, they left the conversation with a smirk on their respective faces, but once in a while, one of them stormed off in one direction, and the other followed suit in the opposite way. Kaye found them completely fascinating and hilarious.

Kaye sat, bored, pondering all of these things that she had learned about the people around her as she sat on the back porch. It was getting dark and chilly out, and she was sure Gibbs would call her in soon. The last thing that Kaye wanted was to go and watch Finding Nemo again. Nemo was cool, and all, but after a while, it became very old.

"Kaye? Time to come inside!" Gibbs hollered from the kitchen.

Right on cue, Kaye thought.

"Coming!" Kaye slowly rose from her position and headed into the kitchen, where she was promptly grabbed from behind and had her eyes covered. She screamed at the shock of it.

"Chill, Bella. We've just got a surprise for you."

Kaye calmed down at the soothing sound of Tony's voice. His was one of the first that she had learned to recognize. She felt herself being led around, until they reached what she suspected were the stairs.

"Okay, Bella, I don't want you to fall, so cover your eyes, and I'll carry you up, okay?"

"To-neeeey," she whined.

"Hey. Surprise. Fun. Remember? Cover your eyes."

"Fine," she grumbled good naturedly.

Tony removed his hands from her eyes, and she promptly covered them, herself, playing along with his game. She squealed as she felt herself being swung off the ground and over his shoulder. She giggled as he reached up and quickly tickled her side.

"Up we go." Tony said, a smile evident in his voice.

Abby had persuaded the team to gather in the hallway outside of Kaye's room. They had all worked really hard, and it was finally finished. Every wall was meticulously painted in the bright turquoise, white, and dark purple hues that Kaye had chosen. Each piece of furniture was assembled, and was in its place. Kaye's double sized canopy bed (A bit of a surprise, for her, as she thought she was getting a normal twin sized bed. Gibbs had thought a little bit farther ahead, though. She would be a teenager in not too many years and would want a larger bed. Plus, if Abby slept over, he wouldn't have to pull out the old mattress in the upstairs hallway closet that she and Tony took turns sleeping on more often than they would like to admit.) was completely assembled, and was very much the focus of one end of her room. Her clothes were folded in drawers or hung in the closet. Books of every shape, size, and length, were arranged on her bookshelf, and toys and stuffed animals were put away on shelves, in corners, and on the bed. It really was a little girl's heaven. Even her "indoor treehouse" had been emptied of many of Kelly's old treasures, cleaned, painted, and filled with pillows and a decorative lamp.

Tony stood Kaye outside of her new room and told her to open her eyes. The door was closed, but as she looked around, the whole team nodded excitedly, telling her to open the door.

Kaye couldn't believe it! They had really finished?! She thought about taking her time and enjoying the buildup, but the real child side of her won out, and she whipped the door open, bolting around the room, taking it all in. She squealed like only an eight year old girl could, as she saw her perfect haven. A massive bed, too many toys to count, clothes in her closet, and Bertha front and center on her bed. She even discovered that there was a computer on her desk! She stopped at the pink laptop and gently ran her fingers over the edge of it. Gibbs came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You're smart, Kaye, and you go to s special school. You do more work than most kids, and I thought this might help with that. There are rules, of course. No internet in your room, and you have to put it away when I ask you to, but other than that, it's yours."

Kaye turned and looked up at him in awe. She had read enough books to know that if she was older, she probably would have cried, but she was just shocked. She did the only thing she could think of, and darted toward him, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you so much, Gibbs. Thank you for everything," she whispered so that only he could hear it.

Gibbs just smiled gently down at the little girl who had lost so much. A laptop and a bedroom that she loved were the least that he could do. "You're welcome Kaye. Why don't you look around your room, maybe decide what else you need for the clubhouse? You need to get to bed soon, but I think we can extend tonight's bedtime a bit."

Kaye grinned, letting go of him as she began flitting from one item to the next, checking drawers and decorative storage bins, to see all of the goodies in them. They didn't even get most of this stuff on their shopping trip!

"Thanks, Gibbs!"

The team, who had gathered in her doorway to watch her reaction, filtered out of the room. Gibbs followed close behind, taking one last look at the excited girl as he shut her bedroom door behind him. Most of the team had started downstairs already, but Abby waited for him in the hallway. She fit herself into his side as she so often did, his arm automatically wrapping around her shoulders as her arm wrapped around his waist.

"She's going to be great, here, Gibbs. I love her so much, already!"

Gibbs' eyes crinkled as he looked down at his surrogate daughter, admitting something to her that he wouldn't say to anyone else in the world, yet. "Me too, Abbs. I love her already, too."


	12. Chapter 12

The first few days after the bedroom being finished were filled with "family time" and settling in for Kaye. Gibbs kept a close eye on her, knowing that although she held above average intelligence and maturity, she was still an eight-year-old girl who had gone through a traumatic loss followed by a massive change. Kaye seemed quite happy to be spending her time with the team, but realistically, they were all new to her. In the last week, she had gone from being a kid who had lost her only parent and was living with the one other constant person in her life, to being dumped into a home with an arguably very grouchy man and a group of people she had only heard vague stories about.

Now that Kaye was more settled, and they had attempted to start some semblance of a routine, Gibbs was flipping chocolate chip pancakes and dialing her school.

"Good morning, Brockton Academy, Louisa Carpenter speaking, how may I help you?" the voice said after several rings.

"Yeah, hi. My name is Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I need to speak to the headmaster regarding Kaye Todd, please."

Checking the clock, he checked the bottom side of the pancakes again, and deciding they needed another moment on the pan, he reminded himself that Kaye took longer to get ready than he did and to wake her up earlier next time.

"Oh yes! Mr. Gibbs. We've been expecting your call since her guardian, Ms. Hart, spoke with us last week. May I set up an appointment with the headmaster for you? I know he is eager to meet you."

Gibbs gave an internal eye roll. He had been hoping to deal with this strictly over the phone until the day he took her back to school.

"Yeah, okay. I was hoping to get her back in sooner rather than later. Does he have any openings today or tomorrow?"

Louisa picked up the black leather appointment book from it's place on the corner of her large oak desk. "Let me take a look for you. Just one moment, please."

Placing the phone down gently, and quickly flipping to the current day, she checked for openings in the headmaster, Mr. Royce's schedule. Finding that surprisingly, he had an hour and a half open in the afternoon, she picked the phone back up and spoke.

"Alright, Mr. Gibbs. Mr. Royce has an opening at 1:15 this afternoon. Would you be able to make that?"

Dropping a pancake unceremoniously on a platter, he thought about his day. He had been hoping to be out of the house by 0900, but that clearly wasn't going to happen. Last he checked, Kaye was "getting dressed and would be right down", but that was half an hour ago. They still had to eat, and he needed to pack her a lunch in case he wouldn't have time to run and grab her anything. She was supposed to be spending the day with Abby at the lab while he ran a few errands tying up loose ends on financial paperwork that Kate had left behind. Calculating quickly, he figured that even though it was already 0845, he could drop Kaye off, get everything done at the bank, and still make it to the school with a bit of time to spare. He would have to leave grocery shopping for later, but it would have to do. Quickly translating military time in his mind, he responded.

"Yeah. I can make that work. 1:15. I'll be there. Does Kaye need to be there?"

Louisa thought back to the conversation she had had with Mr. Royce earlier that week. He had been concerned about Kaye's wellbeing and her falling behind. He probably would like to see her.

"I think it would be a good idea for Kaye to come along, yes. I know that Mr. Royce has been concerned about her, so I am sure that he would love to see her. We all miss our students when they are away. And that way Kaye can show you around a bit, too!" She said excitedly.

Gibbs held in a groan. It would mean an extra drive across a good chunk of the city to pick her up in time, but at least they could grab a lunch on the way, shaving off a bit of time before they had to leave.

"Alright. I'll be there at 1:15 with Kaye. We'll see you then."

"Sounds good! Goodbye, Mr. Gibbs."

"Bye." He said shortly. After ending the call, he dropped his phone on the table.

He had managed to successfully cook and move all of the pancakes onto a platter during the phone call. Switching off the stove, he grabbed the toppings that he had learned that Kaye liked over the last week and tossed them haphazardly on the table before heading for the stairs. Gibbs had forgotten what it was like to live with another person, let alone an eight-year-old girl. He was used to living by his own schedule, which was fast-paced and efficient, a result of years of his Marine training and time at NCIS.

As he was learning, little girls were the opposite of all of that, something that was confirmed once again as he stopped short in Kaye's doorway, finding her in the corner of her room by the Barbie-sized doll house that Jenny had surprised her with not two days ago. She was supposed to be downstairs, dressed and eating, and here she was deeply immersed in the project of finding a perfect outfit for the Barbie doll that was in her hand. Gibbs felt his frustration grow, knowing that she still didn't have shoes on, and seeing that her backpack, which was supposed to be packed with toys and games for the day, was sitting empty on her bed. He almost yelled out at her, but caught himself. A memory of another little girl, with blonde hair and blue eyes, flashed in front of his eyes. He remembered a morning similar to this one. He had been in a rush, and Shannon wasn't around for some reason. He had had to get Kelly ready and out the door on his own, and he had similarly come up here to this very room to find her playing in the same corner, but with Strawberry Shortcake dolls. All within a few seconds, he felt his frustration wash away, remembering that life with children was precious, and that yelling at Kaye for enjoying her new toys wasn't necessary.

Padding over behind her, he spooked her and made her jump at his voice. "Kaye, what are you doing?" he said softly, yet sternly. He didn't need to scold her, but she needed to understand that they needed to get back on track.

"Gibbs!" Kaye screeched, "You scared me! And...um…I'm sorry! I got dressed and combed my hair and I was going to pick a Barbie to take with me today and then I didn't like what she was wearing, so I had to pick another outfit and…and…I guess I just kept playing…" she rambled before trailing off.

Gibbs smirked. "I can see that. It's okay. But we really do need to get going. I need to drop you with Abby and run a few errands and then you and I are going to go meet with your headmaster at your school."

"Mr. Royce? He's so nice! You wouldn't think that the boss of the school would be so nice, but he is! I get to go with you?"

"Yepp, but only if you get your shoes on quickly, and go and eat your breakfast! I'll pack some stuff into your bag for you. It'll be a surprise. Plus, you don't need a whole day of entertainment, just enough for the morning. Okay?"

Kaye jumped up and ran over to her shoe pile. Normally, she liked to take time to carefully chose which pair she would wear, but she knew that she had wasted that time playing. She grabbed her favorite blue Keds that Jenny had helped her choose, popped them on, and laced them up. Meanwhile, Gibbs started going around her room picking out a few items to toss in the backpack. Kaye got up and headed toward the door, calling out over her shoulder, "Don't forget Bertha, Gibbs!"

Gibbs rolled his eyes. What had Abby created?


	13. Chapter 13

Gibbs shook hands with the headmaster of Brockton Academy, Mr. Royce.

"It's been good to meet you, Mr. Gibbs. Sounds like Kaye is settling in with you just fine. And it's good to hear that she'll have a built in extended support system. We look forward to getting her back into her classes as she has been greatly missed by her teachers and fellow students."

Gibbs nodded. "Thank you. Monday morning, then?"

Mr. Royce led Gibbs back through the large wooden doors to the secretary's office, where they found Kaye deep in discussion with Ms. Carpenter about how Abby had taught her how to run a fingerprint scan that morning. She hadn't stopped talking about it on the whole drive from the Navy yard to the school, which had pushed Gibbs nearly to his limit. He cared for the girl, of course, which was part of why her nattering about all of the steps and the little facts that Abby had told her had been driving him crazy.

Gibbs normally drove like a maniac. He was used to getting from point A to point B in the quickest way possible, no matter the driving laws and speed limits. But he had a kid in the car, now. It was one thing to scare the living daylights out of his agents, but he couldn't put an eight-year-old girl in that much danger, not to mention break the law right in front of her. What would normally take him about half an hour in mid-day traffic took him nearly 50 minutes.

Brockton Academy had been around for a very long time. Originally a preparatory school for children of the elite (and very, very rich), it was a beautifully built old building. The outside looked every bit intimidating if you didn't attend, old and stone grey with large windows and doors. Inside it seemed much warmer. The walls and doors were all old, dark stained wood with beautiful carvings in them, much like one would see in an old castle, and ceilings were very high. The entire place had a very grand feeling to it, but the elaborate displays of the current students' handiwork everywhere made you feel much more at home.

Somewhere around the 1980's, from what Gibbs had read in a pamphlet while waiting for Mr. Royce, the school went through a massive change. A new headmaster was brought in, and most of the board had been replaced. They closed the school for the summer and reopened as a completely new institution. Instead of focusing on average children of the wealthy, they decided to take a chance and turn their attention to becoming a school for gifted children from all walks of life. They began engineering a new type of program, a hybrid between group class times and independent, self-paced study for especially gifted children in grades 1 to 12. The tuition was nothing to blink at, and students had to keep up to strict academic levels to continue at Brockton each year, but they had many funding options for families that needed help, and their programs had enough flexibility to help nearly every child who passed the initial admissions testing succeed through graduation.

Gibbs had read another letter from Kate the night before about how Kaye had ended up at Brockton. She had been in Kindergarten at a local public school and continually got bad reports from her teacher about her behavior. She was bored. Kate let her continue there into first grade, where she hoped things would change. Unfortunately, they just got worse. Luckily, her teacher that year saw something in Kaye that her Kindergarten teacher had not. Kaye was very smart, and very bored. So her teacher had her tested to find out if she could be placed in a school more her speed.

She didn't just do well, she excelled. So Kate began the search. Many schools sounded like they could help Kaye, but the tuition was just too much. Kate had a good job, sure, but she still couldn't afford to pay all of her regular bills plus a painful tuition each month. She was about to give in when a teacher's assistant that had worked with Kaye in Kindergarten mentioned Brockton to Kate. They had managed to get her extra funding and work out a deal with Kate on a monthly tuition payment, and Kaye was in the school within a week. They had apparently had nothing but good experiences since. It was a small school of less than 300 students in grades one to twelve, and the lead staff could name each and every one.

Mr. Royce smiled over at Kaye, who had stopped her chattering when they had walked back into the room. "What do you think, Kaye? You ready to come back for Monday?"

Kay looked up and grinned. "So ready!"

"I guess you have your answer, there, Mr. Gibbs. I look forward to seeing you around more often. Louise will help you with the new forms we discussed, and feel free to take a look around the school. I'm sure that Kaye, here, can give you a good enough tour. What do you say, Kaye? Take him around to all of the good spots?"

Kaye skipped over to them and grabbed Gibbs' hand. "Yepp. We can start with my classroom, and then the cafeteria, and then the auditorium, and then…" she trailed off.

Gibbs smirked down at this little ball of joy. He was glad that she was so happy here. They really seemed to try with these kids and it showed in how excited she was to get back to school. He definitely couldn't say he'd ever felt that way when he was a kid.

"Louise, can you get the change of address form, as well as the designated pick up form, and get the banking information from Mr. Gibbs, here?"

"Sure thing. Come on over. I've got them right here." Louise said warmly, as Mr. Royce went back into his office and closed the doors.

Gibbs began signing papers and filling out forms, pausing when he reached the one that would list the designated people to pick Kaye up from school. Knowing his work schedule, and the emergencies that tended to arise on the job, he knew that the list would be long. "Ms. Carpenter, I sometimes end up working long hours due to cases at NCIS. Do you have a limit for how many people I can put on this form? It only has four spaces."

Louise smiled at him. "Normally, people only have one or two people on that list. But here's another couple of pages if you need them. We'll just keep them all on file. It's no problem."

"Thanks," he puffed out, scribbling names, phone numbers, and addresses down as quickly as he could. Kaye was getting antsy. He knew she wanted to show him around the school and she'd already been cooped up in the office for over an hour. An eight-year-old's patience only holds out for so long.

Abigail Sciuto, Anthony DiNozzo, Timothy McGee, Donald Mallard, Jennifer Shepard… Gibbs thought for a moment. If there was ever a time when the entire team was too busy with a case, he would need at least another couple of options. He groaned internally, writing down James Palmer. It wasn't that he didn't like the kid…he just didn't…well, he didn't love being around him. But he was harmless. And he would be a good contact to write down. Then Gibbs tried to think of anyone outside of NCIS in case of a bigger emergency.

Gibbs didn't exactly have many friends. Even at NCIS, his team was more like family than friends. But there was one person. Fornell didn't even know about Kaye, yet. But Gibbs figured it would be good for him to meet her sooner rather than later. He was the closest thing to a friend Gibbs had, and Emily, Tobias' daughter, was a few years younger than Kaye. Maybe it would give them a chance to spend more time together with the girls. After all, Emily seemed to adore him, for whatever reason. He missed that kid. How she had turned out so sweet while being half Diane, he would never know.

Jotting down Tobias Fornell, Gibbs figured that would probably be enough people. But before he handed the page to Ms. Carpenter, his mind flickered to Ziva. She was barely part of the team, yet. Abby still wasn't thrilled about her, and though she got along well enough with everyone, she wasn't fully part of the family. But Gibbs had high hopes for her. Figuring that he would eventually be writing her name down in the future, anyway, he quickly filled in the last space on the second page of emergency contacts and approved pick up people.

Handing the last of the forms to the secretary, he said goodbye and took Kaye's hand, letting her lead him on a tour of Brockton Academy.


	14. Chapter 14

Gibbs hadn't known exactly what to expect when he arrived at Brockton Academy. From the outside, it looked more like a mix between a medieval castle and a prison than a progressive school for gifted children, and even the inside of the building, the architecture seemed like it should be hosting a prestigious law firm, or perhaps even an ivy league annex. But the colorful artwork and projects on display betrayed all of that. As Kaye led him through the hallways toward her classroom, Gibbs couldn't believe the handiwork that went in to the dark, wooden vaulted ceilings, or the carvings over every archway. As a carpenter, himself, he appreciated its beauty, and almost couldn't believe that this was a place for children to learn and run and play in. He was beyond impressed.

Passing by the younger classrooms, Gibbs could hear teachers excitedly instructing their students. Peeking into windows as they walked, he could see that in quite a few of the rooms, there were only about ten students to a teacher, and in many cases, the children seemed to be working on different subjects in the same room.

Turning to Kaye, he asked, "So, do you guys all learn the same thing at the same time? Or do you do your own thing?"

Kaye smiled, eager to answer. Any time that she met someone new that hadn't heard of her school, she got to explain it all. She had become quite good at it. "Every class has about ten kids in it. Part of the day, the teacher is teaching the whole class, like in a normal school. But most of the day, we get to work on whatever we want. We still have deadlines, but there aren't as many of them as in a regular school. It's more like…if you get all of your work done well by the end of the semester, you're good to go. Here, even the younger kids, like me, work in semesters, like high school kids. We might have project due dates and stuff, but most of our regular work, like math, or writing stories for English, or our history and geography stuff have less strict times that they have to be in. If the teacher thinks we're falling behind, then we have to follow due dates, but it's pretty rare. This way, too, if one kid in my class is more like a third grader, and one is more like a fourth grader, the one who is like a fourth grader can actually start on stuff from next year if they finish early. Then it takes longer to bump them up a grade if they need to be bumped up. And they're more ready for it. My teacher, Mrs. Lewis, thinks that I'm going to be doing fourth grade work probably by February or March if I keep working like I already do."

Gibbs was blown away by her answer. This kid was eight. Did she not know that? He understood that she was very intelligent, but she talked like she was at least eleven or twelve. He'd have a hard time getting used to that. Though, it made it easier that she still liked playing with ponies and Barbies, and her favorite movies were still mostly animated ones. At least she didn't seem in too much of a rush to grow up.

Kaye led Gibbs to her classroom, where they looked through the window to find Mrs. Lewis deep in conversation with the class while holding up a scientific model. Kaye wanted to go and say hello, but Gibbs reminded her that they would be seeing everyone again in just a few days, so she continued on to the library (fairly typical, though about three times the size of a normal high school library, not to mention the middle school and elementary level areas), the cafeteria (much more luxurious than he had ever seen in a school, but he noted that the prices were still very fair, and he could easily let Kaye eat there a few times a week without it killing his budget), and to the computer lab. He couldn't believe the size of it. There had to be over one hundred computers in there, half of them the type that he used, and half of them the type that McGee sometimes talked about…those ones with the half eaten apples on them. They all looked much more up to date than the ones at NCIS, not including Abby's. He knew that she would get a kick out of seeing this place when she inevitably picked up Kaye.

After a quick wander through the hallways for the middle school aged students, they headed upstairs, where Kaye told him what she knew about the high school kids. As he held this little eight-year-old's hand, it hit him like a ton of bricks.

He hadn't been able to watch Kelly grow up, but he was going to have the chance to watch Kaye finish her elementary years, go through the tough middle school years, go into high school, choose colleges, go to prom, graduate…

He stopped short, causing Kaye to give him an odd look. She hadn't known him too long, but she had learned that he was generally a very calm, cool man. He didn't show much emotion, barely any at all to anyone beyond his team. She knew he had secrets, that he was a slightly intimidating mystery to unfold, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out why this tall, strong, impenetrable man was standing in the middle of her school's hallway, clutching her hand, and looking at her so softly, with what looked like the beginning of tears in his eyes.

Cocking her head to the side, Kaye studied this great man that her mother had spoken of so highly. She didn't know why he suddenly looked so sad (but also kind of happy?) but she knew that she was his family, now. It was her job to make him smile. So instead of just standing there waiting for Gibbs to collect himself, she tugged on his hand hard, signaling that she wanted him to come down to her level.

Gibbs obeyed the silent command of the small girl and crouched down in front of her, nearly falling back onto the ground at the force of the hug she suddenly launched on him. After getting over the initial shock of it all, he grasped Kaye tightly, lifting her up and coming face to face with a big smile. Finding himself unable to resist, he smirked back at her.

"I don't know about you, but I think I've had enough of school for the day. You and I only have a few more days of freedom before we're back to the usual schedule of work and school. What do you say we get out of here, grab some ice cream, and head home? You and I can make a big dinner and we'll call the team to come over."

Kaye's grin grew even bigger and she nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Ice cream! Can we get banana splits? They're the best! Or maybe double chocolate fudge sundaes? Oh! Can you get Tony to bring one of his movies? And Abby has to bring Bert! Bertha wants to see him again!"

As the little girl babbled on, Gibbs walked them down to the main level, past the office, and out toward the car.

Mr. Royce had just come out to ask Ms. Carpenter for a file when they both caught sight of Kaye and Gibbs. He smiled genuinely and said, "Are they sure they haven't always been family?"

Louise just laughed.


	15. Chapter 15

Wednesday night would prove to be a fair amount of fun for both Gibbs and Kaye. After having ice cream, Gibbs called the team and invited them over for dinner. He told them he'd be grilling steaks and they'd have a whole meal ready for everyone. He told Kaye that he was in a bit of a celebratory mood.

While she had been at NCIS earlier in the day, he had gone to Kate's old bank to work out the transferring of her accounts. Because of the way her will had been made out, only certain funds had been readily available to Roxy, and the same ones would be made readily available to him. The smallest of the accounts was Kate's regular checking account, which had a small savings account attached. It only had a small bit left in it, a result of Roxy having access for the last few months. The main one was Kaye's school fund. Kate had been putting every extra penny that she could into it since Kaye was born, originally intending for it to be a college fund, but instead using it for Brockton's tuition. Gibbs had been quite surprised at the sum that was stowed away in that account, alone. Kate had clearly worked hard for it all, and it was more than enough to get Kaye right through her elementary and middle school years. There was a second account, a college fund that Kate had set up only a year before her death.

It turned out that though she was estranged from the rest of her family, Kate's grandmother had secretly kept in touch with her over the years. She was the only one who knew about little Kaye. Kate's grandmother had also been a strict Catholic, but she found that her pride in how Kate handled the whole situation far outweighed the disappointment she felt at the situation in the first place. Not long after Kate joined NCIS, her grandmother fell ill. She was getting quite up there in age. When she passed, she left nearly all of her liquid assets, as well as a few precious mementos to Kate, while her large home and other items went to the rest of the family. She knew that it would probably drive a greater wedge between her granddaughter and her family, but she also knew that Kate needed it the most and would use it in the best ways. It was no small amount, either. Kate put a large amount of it into a new college fund for Kaye, giving her enough money right off the bat to be able to attend even the most prestigious schools for at least 5 years including room and board. And the fund had a high interest rate, so it would grow well over time. The last bit of her inheritance had apparently gone to paying off Kate's old student loan in its entirety, as well as buying herself a new car. Kate had left the car to Roxy in her will.

Then there was the life insurance, which had been sitting in another account that Roxy would not have been allowed to touch. The way that Kate had written her will, Roxy Hart would not have access to that account. If she continued to be Kaye's guardian, Kaye would be given access to half of the fund when she turned eighteen, and the other half at twenty-five. However, with Gibbs listed as guardian, he could have access to the first half at any point, while the second half would still only be released on Kaye's twenty-fifth birthday. Gibbs smirked when he found this out. Clearly Kate knew just how much she could trust Roxy with the money.

With the money that Kate had carefully planned for and taken care of since Kaye's birth, the only real cost that Gibbs would ever have needed to absorb by taking on Kaye was the typical day to day things, like food, doctor's appointments, and so on.

But he didn't worry. In all of his marriages and divorces, and through all of the settlements and alimony payments he had to deal with, there was one savings account that he had managed to protect for many years. And it was nothing to laugh at. That was because he never believed he would ever use it. And yet for more than twenty years, he had kept depositing a monthly sum into it. He had always figured that upon his death, he would perhaps donate it to a charity, or in recent years, his thoughts leaned more towards splitting it amongst his team.

He hadn't left it alone just because he was fairly good with money. He had left it alone because it was Kelly's college fund. He had started it the day that Shannon found out that she was pregnant, and added to it and let it grow since. When he lost his girls, he contemplated beginning to blow it on booze, but he could never bring himself to do anything that horrible with it. He had hopes that it would be used for something good one day.

Well, there was more than enough in there to split between his team as well as Kaye when she grew older. He was glad that maybe Kelly's money would go somewhere good.

So despite his typical surly personality, Gibbs was in the mood to celebrate small victories with his team. They'd had a hard time over the last two years dealing with Ari Haswari. And losing Kate had nearly destroyed Abby and Tony, especially, but her death had affected everyone. His team was used to claiming every victory that they could. And celebrating the fact that they had this sweet little piece of Kate in their lives, as well as for Gibbs, having the certainty that she would be set not just for school, but for life, now that would be a great reason to invite everyone over.

Before having Kaye around (it was funny to him that she had only arrived just over a week ago…his life had been separated into to parts already, before losing Shannon and Kelly, and after, but now there was a second divide, before Kaye and after), he didn't particularly enjoy having all of the team over at once. It interrupted his carefully constructed place of peace and quiet. Not that he would turn them away if they needed him, of course. His team knew full well that the door was always open (though, not so much now that he had changed the locks and started using them…he had passed keys out a couple of days ago) to them. All they had to do was wander in, usually down to the basement, anytime that they needed to talk. Abby was his most frequent visitor, often spending the night when she came over. Tony was a close second, though. His senior field agent was a cocky playboy on the surface, who seemed to have everything planned in his life. But Gibbs knew better. He had seen his agent act as no more than a broken teenager many times in his basement. The night would often begin with DiNozzo quietly knocking on the doorframe of his basement and asking if he could come down. Gibbs would always respond that he needn't do that. It would take an hour or so, usually, and a few drinks, before Tony would start spilling his guts. Sometimes, it was a girl problem. Sometimes he was feeling insecure at work. Most of the time it was deeper, and Gibbs would just graze the surface of his now surrogate son's insecurities when Tony would begin to doze off on the steps. Gibbs would always sigh before stepping over, hauling Tony up, and leading him upstairs either to his own bed or to the couch, where the senior field agent would promptly pass out. Depending on how drunk he had gotten, or how late they had been up, Tony would either be gone, leaving a pot of coffee brewing, before Gibbs got up, or he would still be snoring away. Gibbs would make him breakfast, wake him up, and they'd eat silently, pretending that the night before hadn't happened.

But tonight was different. Tonight he would have the whole team over for good old steaks, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob. Well, that and potato salad. That was always one of Abby's demands when he cooked steak. He knew better than to upset her. He noticed that Kaye had been awfully quiet for awhile, now, so he decided to check in on her before firing up the grill. Abby would be there anytime, with the rest of the team following soon after. At least Kaye would have someone more entertaining than him to hang out with soon.

Climbing the stairs, he heard muffled giggles. It sounded like she was far away. Upon entering her room, he couldn't see her anywhere. And that's when he knew why he recognized that sound. She was in Kelly's secret hideout, or as Kaye put it, her indoor treehouse. Sneaking quietly through her room into the closet area, he could see a soft light under the closed, tiny door. He thought about looking in on her, but decided against it, simply enjoying the sound of happiness coming from this part of the house, again. After a few minutes, he left her be in her little haven and went back downstairs to prepare dinner.


	16. Chapter 16

Kaye had been with Gibbs for a little under two weeks, now. Laying in her indoor treehouse, coloring her Beauty and the Beast coloring book, she began to think about all of the little things she had noticed about Gibbs and the team in that time. Like how much Gibbs valued his quiet time. He worked in a crazy environment, so he liked to be able to come home and either watch television, or spend time working on his boat in the basement. Not that he had ever felt the need to quiet her down. On the contrary, as long as she wasn't running around screaming (not something she was particularly fond of, either) then he actually seemed to really enjoy her company. Whether he was showing her how to sand a piece of wood, or simply listening to her chatter on about her favorite movies.

Kaye placed her pencil crayon back onto the coloring book. Sitting up, she crawled over to the back right corner of the tiny room. Jenny and Abby had worked hard in there. They left it unpainted so that it would retain that secretive feel to it. Exposed beams of wood lined the walls, though there was drywall between the beams. That part was painted a simple, faded cream color. The whole room was around five feet squared. Gibbs had told her that it was really just glorified attic space that happened to be on the second floor instead of on top of it. He said that he had checked it out a long time ago, and it looked like it was just extra space that could technically have been an extended closet, but because it was built into an area of the house where the roof sloped drastically, it wouldn't have been much help for that. When you entered through the half-size door, Gibbs could stand up, with a few inches to spare over his head. But across the little room, the ceiling sloped down to be about three feet off the ground. It would have made a good storage room, but it was even more perfect for a little girl.

Kaye clamoured over the pillows that had been given to her, and she reached behind a small wood bin of toys that she kept in there. She pulled a small, plastic covered, dollar store photo album from the dark corner. It had been her mother's work photos from her time at NCIS. It was one of the special items that Kaye had kept with her in her box of important things during her move to Gibbs' place. She flipped it open, looking at each of the teammates photos, many of them with her mom standing there beside them.

She had noticed a lot about them, too. Abby acted more like a daughter than anything to Gibbs, always looking for affection and hoping to please him. And he was always happy to do anything she asked. Tim seemed kind of lost in the whole mishmash of Tony and Ziva's antics, and Abby's bubbliness, and Ducky's stories. He was a bit awkward around everyone, especially Kaye, though he was always sweet and kind. Kaye really liked him. Ziva was kind of wild and distant. Kaye was never really sure what to make of her. But she seemed nice enough. In this whole little odd family that had somehow formed around Gibbs, Ducky was like the odd uncle of the group, though he seemed more like a grandpa figure to Kaye.

There was no photo of Jenny in Kate's album, but her mind was drawn to the redheaded director. Jenny was something else. Kaye found it funny, really. From the little bits of information she had managed to squeeze out of Abby, Jenny and Gibbs had dated a long time ago. And now, it seemed like Jenny couldn't come by frequently enough. Since that first day when Jenny took her shopping, she hadn't been away from their house for more than two days at a time. First she was there to help with setting up Kaye's room. Then she dropped off a Barbie Dream House because "every little girl should have one". Then there was that night when Gibbs had been called in because of a potential mix-up in paperwork on a case that was supposed to be going to trial the next day. He had gone in to NCIS at around 10am, leaving Kaye down in Abby's lab. But there was only so much to do down there for so long, and when Abby had been distracted by processing evidence, Kaye had decided to take a walk. She ended up in Jenny's office (after Abby alerted Gibbs and Kaye had gotten a bit of a talking-to about wandering off by herself in a federal building) for a bit, before Jenny decided that she shouldn't have to stay there all day. The rest of the team was busy working on backed up paperwork, so Jenny gathered up a bunch of files that she could work on outside of the office, cancelled her remaining appointments for the day, and took Kaye to her place. From what Kaye heard in the next few days, that was completely unheard of.

Jenny had spent the rest of the day and well into the evening with her, letting her poke around her home. Gibbs hadn't been able to leave until nearly nine o'clock that night, so Jenny heated up some of the dinner that she and Kaye had already eaten, and the three of them sat there chatting for two more hours. Kaye couldn't get enough of them.

She figured that maybe one day, though nobody could ever replace her mom, maybe she'd get a really awesome step-mom out of the deal.

Then she came to one of her favorite photos in the album. It had been taken at last year's NCIS Christmas party. Tony stood in front of the large, ornate tree that was in front of the windows that lined the bullpen. He was wearing a horrific "ugly Christmas sweater" with a light up Santa and reindeer on it, and he was grinning like an idiot. Kate stood beside him, clearly frustrated, but also obviously amused. She had a look on her face that Kaye recognized from every time that she spoke of the mysterious Tony DiNozzo. She was trying to be angry, but was also failing to reign in a smile.

Tony was someone special to her mom. She didn't know if Kate would have ever admitted it, but Kaye was pretty sure that she LIKE-liked him, at least a little bit. And she couldn't help but noticed the way that Tony looked at her every time they crossed paths. So far he had been kind of distant with her, claiming that he wasn't good with kids. But Kaye wasn't about to give up on him just yet. Tony was funny, and he was kind. And he had spent the most time with her mom when she worked at NCIS.

Knowing that her mom had a habit of writing things on the backs of photos, she carefully slipped it out of the plastic sleeve and turned it over.

NCIS Christmas Party 2004. I was TRYING to take a nice picture with Tony, but he claimed he had mistletoe, kissed me and grabbed my butt! If he wasn't such a damn good agent, I'd bring him up on harassment charges! I can't stand him! (although, I can't say that the kiss was bad…)

Kaye began giggling uncontrollably. Her mom had LIKED that kiss! She would have to tell Tony about that one day. It was in that moment when she thought that she heard someone behind her in her closet. Figuring it was just Gibbs checking up on her, she carefully put the photo back in the album, and tucked it away in it's special spot. Cleaning up her pencil crayons, she began to smell the first scents of dinner wafting into her room. Her stomach growled, and hearing what sounded like Abby's excited voice downstairs, Kaye climbed out of her hideout, grabbed Bertha, and ran downstairs to greet the happy goth.


	17. Chapter 17

Mid November 2005

Kaye woke early to the sound of her new alarm clock. Gibbs had finally deemed it necessary after their first attempt at getting her to school on time on Monday. It was a special one that set several alarms to the CD that you placed in it. Abby had made Kaye a mixed CD of (appropriate) fun and upbeat music that she and Kate had listened to together.

It was Wednesday, which meant that it was a class time day for the most part. They would get a few hours in the middle of the day to work independently, but today was Science in the morning and Art in the afternoon, both of which were favorites. Though, if she were honest with herself, nearly all of the subjects at school were her favorites.

She had just finished brushing her hair and was picking out an outfit for the day when Gibbs knocked and came in. He was pleasantly surprised to find her up and being productive. So he said his usual morning greeting, a gruff "Mornin'. Sleep well?"

"Mmhmm. Just tryin' to figure out what to wear. Is it going to be rainy today?"

Gibbs always checked the weather on the evening news, as well as the morning news when it started at 0500. He wanted to make sure that she was always dressed appropriately and had an umbrella if she would need one.

"It's supposed to be dry until after lunch, but then it's going to pour. Do pants with a coat. And make sure you have that abomination you call an umbrella with you. I'm going to go pour your cereal. You figure you can be downstairs in twenty?"

Kaye almost laughed out loud at him. Since the day that she had picked it out at Target, he had nicknamed it "The Abomination". It was a child-sized umbrella that had a clear dome, with big blue and purple daisies all over it, plastic petals that flapped around in the wind, and to top it off, it was trimmed in purple vinyl frills. He claimed that he had never seen something so over the top in his life. And what made it worse was that it was eight dollars more than the regular, solid colored kids' umbrellas that were in the stand next to it. But Kaye just had to smile, squeeze his hand, bat her eyelashes, and say please, and he was putty (not that he would ever admit that). Kaye liked the fact that she had this new power over him, but as all superheroes must acknowledge, powers must be used for good and not evil. So Kaye decided to use those eyelashes only in the case of emergencies. Like flowery, frilly umbrellas.

Looking back up at Gibbs, she grinned and replied, "Yepp. I already brushed my hair. I just need to get dressed and brush my teeth. Is my backpack ready downstairs?"

To shorten their morning routine, Gibbs had begun taking her backpack downstairs at night, checking that everything except her lunch was already packed away before he went to bed. Then he would make her lunch and stick it in the fridge, so that all he had to do in the morning was toss it in her bag and they could head out. With an eight-year-old girl, every second counted when you were trying to get somewhere on time.

"Yeah. Hurry up and get ready. We were late on Monday. We barely made it with less than a minute to spare yesterday. We are going to be there in time for you to walk to your classroom today, got it?"

Kaye smiled sheepishly. She knew that having her around was an adjustment for Gibbs. He was trying, he really was. But as far as she could tell, he was a natural. Sure they had a few kinks to work out in, well, everything that they did now that she was effectively his adopted daughter, but she was surprised that he was a single guy with no kids. He seemed to generally know a lot about how to take care of her.

She had been getting to know the team more and more lately. Abby was great, like a really cool aunt, but there was no way that she was even close to being ready to be a mom. Tim was still pretty much a kid, himself, it seemed at times. Tony was starting to try to actually talk to her, finally, but there was no way he was at a dad type level yet. And Ziva…holy smokes! She should probably be supervised around a cat! Ducky was sweet, but he was clearly the life long bachelor.

But Gibbs, he was different. He slipped into the father figure role quite quickly. He was still gruff, for sure, and sometimes he seemed a little calloused and even intimidating. But Kaye could tell he cared. And he knew an awful lot about which toys were which in her room, considering he was an adult male and she was a little girl.

But she paid little mind to it all. He cared. And that was all she needed right now.

"I'll be right down! But the longer you stand there telling me what to do, the longer it's going to take."

Jeez, there's her mother's sass, again, Gibbs thought to himself, rolling his eyes, turning on his heel, and stepping out of her room. He closed the door behind him and headed down the stairs to make her breakfast.

After dropping Kaye off at Brockton (with five minutes to spare!), he made a quick stop at the diner for a coffee, and pulled in to NCIS. He tried to figure out what he would catch Tony doing today. Bouncing paper balls off of Tim, maybe? Or invading Ziva's personal space until she threatened to maim him? Or maybe playing some ridiculous game on that computer. He rolled his eyes at the thought. The kid was a good agent, that was for sure. But one day he would have to start to grow up. Gibbs just hoped for Tony's sake that it would occur naturally, and not because of some devastating event. That happened all too often for young federal agents. One day they're goofing off, playing games, flirting like crazy…the next, they've seen something they can't unsee, or they've been injured, or they lose someone. He had made sure to watch Tony closely in the months after they lost Kate. Whether either of them would have ever admitted it sober, they had been close. Tony had been deeply affected, judging by the number of nights that he had spent passed out on Gibbs' couch over the summer, but so far it hadn't seemed to change who he was. Gibbs wasn't sure if he liked that or not.

The elevator doors opened to a fairly quiet bullpen. He liked coming in before his team. And he was thankful that Brockton started at 8am, so he could still have at least a few minutes of peace and quiet before everyone started to arrive. They were supposed to be there at 0900, which meant that Tim would typically get there around 0845, Ziva would come through the door with a tale of terrible American drivers at 0850, and DiNozzo would stroll in between 0858 and 0910. Sipping his coffee, he glanced at the pile of paperwork on the corner of his desk. He still hadn't caught up completely after his time off with Kaye. Giving it a wary look, he placed his coffee beside his computer screen, flung open the bottom drawer of his desk, reached over, and tossed the files inside. Slamming it shut, he decided he would take them home this week to deal with.

A lot of the time, the team had ample time to sit at their desks and do paperwork. But after the whole Tony and Ziva undercover debacle, he had had more paperwork than he could have imagined. That's what he got for leaving those two to play the psychotic married couple in a hotel room.

There was a chance that he would have some time to work on it today, but his gut was saying something else. There would be a case, and from the nudging he kept feeling, it was going to be a big one. He didn't always like being right most of the time.

Precisely at 0845, the elevator dinged and he looked up to see McGee walking swiftly over to his desk. Tossing his pack to the ground and plopping down in his seat, he greeted Gibbs with a chipper, "Morning Boss."

Gibbs grunted a "Mornin'" and nodded at his youngest agent. Smiling to himself, he was reminded that he had chosen wisely. Tim was green, that was a given, but he was a good kid, and a great addition to the team.

Gibbs got up and headed to the other elevator, grabbing the Caf-Pow he had hidden down beside his desk. He hated even being seen with the stuff. He was sure that it had formerly been developed for chemical warfare, but it made his goth happy.

Every morning, barring a major early morning case, had a routine to it, even at NCIS. Gibbs would come in early, sip at his coffee, enjoy the quiet, and maybe glance at some of his paperwork. Once his first agent arrived, he always went down to greet Abby, who would have been in probably since before he was. He'd let her tell him about her night, then he'd give her the Caf-Pow and a kiss on the cheek, before going down to autopsy to say a quick hello to Ducky. Usually by the time he was on his way back up from all of that, he would get a call about their newest case, if they had one. Otherwise, Gibbs would get his team doing their assigned paperwork or cold cases for the day.

Today, there was a case. Snapping the phone shut, his gut churned again. He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all.


	18. Chapter 18

Gibbs rolled his eyes as he drove with the team in the car. Rating butts? Really? He had expected to interrupt Tony playing a video game, not a team butt contest. When did that even become a thing that people talked about? And that comment from Ziva that he had heard while waiting for them in the elevator. Three points off for excessive hair meant that he was a five.

He needed to start smacking heads more often.

And he was deeply considering putting up a giant poster with Rule 12 printed on it in big, bold letters.

The last thing he needed was complications on his team because of Tony and Ziva. He had that rule for a reason. A redheaded reason.

Gibbs smirked at the splash. She was trying to be all feminist and independent. While he was all for female equality, to him, chivalry should never be dead. And you definitely didn't turn down an old Scotsman's offer of help. Luckily Ducky was a generally optimistic man, and seemed to take his unforeseen November swim in stride.

Legs. Severed legs. Gibbs' gut twinged again. Whole dead bodies were bad enough, but severed limbs were never a good sign. And his conversation with Ducky was concerning at best. The idea of someone keeping the legs in a basement didn't sit well with him for many reasons.

The ride back to NCIS was filled with the usual antics. McGee had somehow managed to get shotgun, which left DiNozzo and David in the back to bicker. She was still mocking him for the whole garbage as evidence thing, and he was just mocking her, period. If it were safe to drive with ear plugs in, he would have. Thinking over the crime scene, something was off, but he couldn't put his finger on just what it was. Obviously, everything was off about finding severed limbs in the forest, but it was something else…

And now, Tim was reaching into the back seat to swat Tony. Rolling his eyes, Gibbs stepped on the gas. Fearing for their lives always quieted his agents down, at least temporarily.

Gibbs had been on a mission to the break room to grab some "lunch", aka a bag of Doritos and a granola bar. Two severed legs from a young woman with a bite mark on them wasn't the kind of case that would lend much time for lunch runs. He was just about to stroll back into the bullpen, when he heard the conversation that his team was having. Chomping on his granola bar, he listened in.

Ziva was reading out of some binder to McGee, who was typing away at his computer. "For a Caucasian female, a factor of 2.90 is multiplied by the tibia length."

"Okay, autopsy report says tibia is 38.34 centimeters."

Tony, phone in hand, looked over at the two of them. "What are you doing?"

McGee replied, "We are calculating our Jane Doe's probable height and weight."

"Why didn't you ask me?"

Ziva looked over at him, annoyance in her tone, "Tony, these are complex equations we're dealing with."

Tony gave them a look. He thought for a split second before saying, "Whatever. She was what-five eight. So she's like a hundred and twenty-five, hundred twenty-six pounds."

Continuing on and paying absolutely no attention to Tony, McGee continued their calculation. "Okay, 111.86 for adipose. Density of musculature…"

"Let's add 61.53."

"172.72 centimeters for height."

"Ducky estimates 57.08 kilograms in weight."

McGee typed in the last bit of information and let the program do its job. "Converting to imperial…and we're done."

Ziva sounded surprised. Gibbs listened, smirking. He knew what was about to happen. He could almost mouth the words that were coming out of McGee and David's mouths.

"She's five foot eight."

"One twenty-five and a half pounds?"

Peeking around from his concealed vantage point, Gibbs could see the surprise on their faces, and the grin that DiNozzo wore. Sure, he messed around a lot, and maybe his talents weren't particularly scientific or mathematical, but he wasn't dumb. And if there was one thing Tony knew about more than anyone he knew, it was women. Or at least their bodies. He rolled his eyes at the thought. Deciding against throwing himself into the mix of his team's antics, he decided to check on Abby. He had a feeling she had something for him, or would soon. But he needed a gift for his girl. Looking down at his bag of Doritos, he figured he could save those for later and grab whatever day-old sandwich they had at the corner store that held Abby's precious drink. Sure she had already had one today, but there was a lot of evidence to process, so he knew she would be desperate for one soon.

The closer Gibbs got to the lab, the more his gut started to churn. Something was wrong. There was no evidence of that, yet. But there was definitely a problem. He was going to get news, but he wasn't sure he was going to like it. Covering his thoughts, he stepped into the lab and greeted Abby, handing her the giant cup. Just moments later, her screen lit up, showing him exactly what his gut had been trying to tell him all morning.

Tony's fingerprint had been found at the scene of a crime.

It was only Kaye's third day back at school since she had been with him and already, he was having a problem. Tony's fingerprint had just been matched to a print in a torn glove at their crime scene, and it was just after 1400. Kaye was off of school in an hour, but there was no way he could just take a break to go and pick her up in the middle of all of this. He needed to talk to DiNozzo, and Abby, and the rest of the team. He needed to get to the bottom of it all. Tobias hadn't even met Kaye yet, so he wasn't an option. And the rest of the team, including Jimmy and Ducky were about to be very busy.

There was only one person who might be able to run to Brockton to pick Kaye up. He climbed the stairs to the catwalk, and headed straight into Jenny's office. Cynthia didn't even try to stop him this time. She just rolled her eyes.

Jenny looked up from her desk. She had been signing off on backlogs of paperwork for most of the day, so while she still fully intended on telling him off for not so much as knocking, she had to admit, she was thankful for the interruption.

"Jethro, how many times must- "

He cut her off. "Jen, we need to talk."

Removing her glasses, she concentrated on him. He looked upset. Most people wouldn't be able to see that on his face, but she knew him better than that. "What is it, Jethro?"

He quickly caught her up on the case so far. She seemed worried. They would need to get to the bottom of this whole thing, and fast.

"I need to stay here and figure this all out. But Kaye is off of school at 1500 hours and there's nobody else that I can call. Is there any way- "

Jenny smiled softly. She knew it took a lot for big, scary Leroy Jethro Gibbs to ask for help, and normally she would revel in it. But she saw the concern in his eyes. This was about Kaye. Jenny found it a little bit odd at how quickly he and the girl had bonded. He had never seemed to show a desire for children, and he clearly didn't take marriage as seriously as some.

Standing up, she cut him off and began to gather her things. "Of course, Jethro. You get to the bottom of this whole thing, which I am sure is just a misunderstanding of some sort. I was only doing paperwork anyway. I could use the break. I'll pick Kaye up from school. But I do need to get some more done today before I can head home. Your place is on the way. I can drop by and get Kaye to grab some things to entertain herself and she can sit in here with me until you're done."

"That would be great." He turned to leave, but paused, and looked over his shoulder at the redhead. "And Jen-" she looked up and met his eyes. "Thanks."

"Of course, Jethro."


	19. Chapter 19

Great. So he didn't break a glove at the crime scene. And the blood test wouldn't be coming back for awhile. Now, Gibbs stood by, watching his senior field agent attempt to talk while having a mold made of his teeth. While Tony's antics brought him enough amusement to get a laugh out of him, he was worried.

Glancing down at his watch, he realized it was getting late. He had dropped in to see Kaye when she arrived back at NCIS with Jenny around 1600, and then had checked in to make sure she had dinner a couple of hours later. Jenny had said that Kaye had finished up all of her homework and had been immersed in a book for a while at that point. But now it was nearly 8pm. Kaye should have been home and getting ready for bed by now.

So far, someone on his extended team had always been able to take Kaye home and get her into bed even if he couldn't. But it was getting to a point, now, that she would be too tired for school in the morning if she wasn't home soon. Jenny was often in her office until late at night, somehow managing to be up and back at the office before anyone but security and the night shift in the morning. Stepping out of the lab, he was just about to dial her number when her name popped up and his phone began to buzz.

"How is it going down there?"

"Fingerprint still matches, and there were no cut gloves in our trash. Blood won't come back until tomorrow. Ducky had to call in a few favors, but he's making a mold of DiNozzo's teeth right now so that we can prove that he didn't make the bite mark on the leg. But it's going to be a long night. How long were you planning on staying?"

"Well, that all depended on you. Would you like me to take her home?"

Gibbs closed his eyes, thinking for a moment. "Could you? I know that she's my responsibility, and you've already had her for so long…"

Jenny just sighed softly into the phone. "Gibbs, she's sweet and quiet. She's a pleasure to have around. And I would rather have her be here with me and you doing what you're best at than any other scenario. I should really have the guest bedroom set up for things like this, but it's all full of boxes right now. I know that it's a little…unorthodox…considering our history, but what if I just stopped at home and grabbed some things for tonight and tomorrow, and I took her home to your place? She has a big bed. I could probably share with her."

Gibbs couldn't suppress the small smile that crossed his face at the thought of Jenny staying at his place.

"Naw. You take my bed. The sheets are fresh. Abby was there the other night. Changed them after her, and I've been on the sofa the last couple of nights. When I manage to make it home, I'll just crash there again."

Jenny smiled into the phone. "Sounds good, Jethro. How about I give you a call just before she goes to sleep? I get the feeling she's going to want to say goodnight."

Kaye looked up from the book that she had been reading. She had been half listening to the conversation, until she realized that Gibbs wouldn't be taking her home. So far, he had been there to tuck her in every night. Even on the night when he had to be out watching Tony and Ziva undercover, he had made sure to tuck her into bed before leaving her with Ducky.

Gibbs agreed, hanging up soon after.

He headed back into the lab. Hopefully, in a few hours, DiNozzo would be cleared of any suspicion.

It had been a rough night. After finding out that somehow, DiNozzo's teeth perfectly fit the mark on the severed leg, Gibbs had told them all to go home and try and get some rest. He knew it would be an especially sleepless night for all of them. He had come home late, trying to be as quiet as he could when he came in. After making sure to relock the door behind him, he had padded upstairs. First, he crept in to Kaye's room, running his fingers through her hair and pulling her blankets up around her, again. He smiled softly at the little girl. She had been so happy to talk to him before bed that night. He was even fairly certain that he could hear a tinge of true sadness in her voice. He would need to make it up to her as soon as this horrible case was over.

After closing her door silently behind him, he went toward his own bedroom door. He smiled at the fact that Jenny had left the door open just enough to be able to hear Kaye if she needed anything. Tiptoeing in, he glanced down at Jenny, asleep on her side of the bed. He found it funny that after all this time, it was still the side she slept on. He had always been very particular about his side of the bed, and she had adapted. Clearly it had stuck.

Gibbs closed his bedroom door almost all the way, and he made his way down to the basement, knowing that if he wanted to get any sleep at all, he would need to work on his boat for awhile to calm himself down.

He hadn't crashed from exhaustion on the couch until nearly 0330.

Gibbs knew that Jen would have to call in someone from the outside for the investigation, so he was pleased when she told him that she had already requested Fornell. The guy was a hardass who would most definitely try his patience at every turn of this, but he was a great agent and would get to the bottom of this. He knew that his whole team was about to be put through the wringer, but at least the guy at the helm knew what he was doing.

He was so glad that he had a competent group on his side. It took them only seconds from the time that Tobias and Sacks walked off with a nervous DiNozzo, to be copying every piece of evidence for themselves before they would have to surrender it to the FBI. Gibbs made a mental note in the back of his mind that even Ziva seemed desperate to help Tony. But he didn't have time to dwell on that thought today.

Today, he needed to save Tony.

The interrogation took longer than he would have thought, and he couldn't have thanked Tony enough. He knew that his best agent had been slowing them down on purpose. They had managed to collect copies of all of the evidence with time to spare.

But now, standing in front of Tony, telling him that he was being taken into custody for a crime he never would have committed…he felt his heart break a little for the boy. Tony was all show on the outside, but on the inside, he was still a kid who needed constant affirmation. And now, Gibbs couldn't even keep him sheltered from being placed in custody.

After shooting a look at Tobias, the FBI agent gave him a nod and headed down the hallway to give the two privacy for a moment.

Tony was leaning on the table, looking completely worn down.

"DiNozzo."

Tony looked up and met Gibbs eyes. "Guess I'm a criminal now. Guilty until proven innocent. That's how it works, right Boss?"

Gibbs walked over and gave his agent a gentle headslap. "You got no faith in us? In Abby? You know damn well that she isn't going to rest until you're back here messin' around instead of doing your paperwork."

Tony found himself smiling softly at the mention of Abby. Gibbs was right, as usual. Tony knew Abby better than anyone else on the team. And truthfully, she probably surpassed Gibbs in Tony 101, too. He thought back to when he first started at NCIS, after Gibbs recruited him from Baltimore P.D. Abby had hated him. She wanted Stan Burley back. She had never been a big fan of change, and suddenly, her favorite non-Gibbs agent was gone, and some cocky, wannabe comedian young guy was in his place. It had taken her two weeks to acknowledge his presence, and another two before she even said his name. But then, there was a tough case that had Tony and Abby up all night in her lab, working. She initially tried to ignore him, but he managed to get a conversation out of her. He still remembered that as the night that they became friends. Not long after that...

Gibbs placed his hand on Tony's back. "You'll be fine, Tony. Just keep your mouth shut and your mind sane, and we'll be there to get you out in no time."


	20. Chapter 20

Gibbs had sent Palmer to pick Kaye up from school. She had only met him once, but he was nice enough, and Gibbs knew he would take care of his girl. Palmer had brought Kaye back to NCIS, where Gibbs had to have a conversation with her.

Kaye was already growing fairly attached to the team. With her being around the building, she was going to hear things, and he needed to somehow explain to an eight-year-old that the guy that her mom had been so close to had been taken into custody for a crime he hadn't committed. He groaned internally. It was bad enough that he still had a much-needed conversation with Abby that needed to take place before he left for the night.

Palmer called Gibbs to let him know that Kaye had finished all of her homework, but that she was getting antsy down in autopsy. Gibbs knew that the time had come. With all that had been going on throughout the day, he had requested that Palmer keep her in Ducky's office until the FBI took the legs along with the rest of the evidence, and then to keep her away from everyone outside of the team until he could speak to her. The rumor mill had been above and beyond the normal NCIS gossip since the news broke that Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo was allegedly being accused of murder. There was no way that he wanted Kaye to hear even a whisper of it until he had a chance to sit down with her. As he descended to autopsy in the elevator, he began to think of what to say.

Gibbs strolled into autopsy at a swift pace. Finding the room empty, he turned to his left and headed for the large metal door that housed the small office. Ducky did a lot of his work in the main room, but if there were long hours of paperwork to be done, the large, white and silver room was cold, and the lighting would give anyone a headache after awhile. Pulling the heavy door open, he smiled softly at the sight before him. Kaye was sitting in Ducky's desk chair, reading her book to Palmer, who seemed to be fully engulfed in the story from the chair on the other side of the desk. Hearing Gibbs enter, they both looked up, and before he knew it, Gibbs felt a short body slam into him.

"Gibbs! I was reading Jimmy my new book that I got from the library! It's this one about the princess Anastasia in Russia."

Gibbs winced. He hoped that she knew how that all ended. But that would be another tricky conversation for another day. Smiling down at her, he bent down to give her a hug.

"Gotta admit, I've missed you the last couple days, kiddo."

Kaye pulled back and grinned at him. "Jenny and I had ice cream for dinner and pizza for dessert last night! We had backwards night! I didn't have time to tell you this morning because we had to rush."

He remembered. The upset in their barely constructed routine had cost them that day, and Kaye had barely made it to school on time, yet again. He was going to have to figure out a better way. Looking up, he thanked Jimmy and asked Kaye to gather up her things. They were going to have to have a talk, but he didn't particularly want it to be down in autopsy, even if they were in the office. Once she was ready, he took her hand and began walking her upstairs. He had spoken with Jenny earlier, and she had a meeting at the Pentagon this evening, so her office was free. When he told her what he needed to do, she offered it up quite willingly.

"Of course you can use it, Jethro. Just remind her that she can't touch anything on my desk, and it'll be fine. Take as long as you need. I'll be leaving just after three and I won't be returning until at least six. Hopefully you'll be able to have an earlier night with her tonight, but if you need me to keep an eye on her for a bit after that, it won't be a problem."

He had been constantly surprised at Jenny Shepard since Kaye had arrived on the scene. Considering their icy past, and her declaration of no "off the job" when she had suddenly showed up as the new director, Gibbs had figured she would end up giving him a hard time where Kaye was concerned. He had hoped that he could just slip the girl into his life with no real consequences, but he knew well enough that she was a distraction not just to him, but to his whole team. He wasn't coming in as early, anymore, and he was trying to be home at a decent hour most nights. If he didn't leave work to go and pick Kaye up from school, then another teammate or, like the day before, even Jenny went. And then if one of them didn't have the time to take her home and spend the afternoon with her, she would end up holed up in someone's office at NCIS. It wasn't exactly an ideal environment for a kid.

But Jenny kept surprising him at every turn. He was beginning to realize that he may need to enroll her in the after school program in the Navy Yard, but he wanted to wait a little bit longer before sending her elsewhere. He never wanted Kaye to think that she was a burden, so he wasn't fond of the idea of pawning her off to more people that she didn't know for several hours each day. Instead of telling Gibbs that Kaye needed to be elsewhere, Jenny had embraced the child. She had told him just that morning that she thoroughly enjoyed spending the afternoon and night with Kaye, getting to know her and doing what was fun in a kid's eyes. Gibbs had attempted to apologize again for Jenny having to take extra time out of her insane schedule to watch the little girl that was supposed to be his responsibility, but she stopped him before he could, saying that she would jump at the chance to do it again.

As Kaye dropped her backpack onto the floor near the couch on the far side of Jenny's office, Gibbs really looked at her. She had lost so much already. At eight years old, this little girl already knew that evil lurked in the world, that it could be even darker than that of fairy tales, and that it could strike someone close to you without any warning. She was wise beyond her years. And he was about to add yet another thing to her list of evils.

Walking over to the couch, he sat down and patted the spot next to him. Kaye looked up at him, first with a smile, but as she saw the look on Gibbs face, it slipped.

"What's going on, Gibbs?"

He placed his large hand on her small arm, hoping that human contact would soften the blow.

"Kaye, something happened at work yesterday. That's why I had Jen stay with you."

He paused, waiting to see if she had any questions yet, as so many children do, but he was greeted with silence and a look of curiosity. He continued.

"You know that my team and I…we solve crimes. Usually murders." He felt her twinge at the word that she was so familiar with. "Yesterday, we started working on a case that involved a young woman who had died. The team collected evidence, and we brought it back to the lab for Abby."

Kaye perked up at Abby's name. "Did she run fingerprints through AFIS? She showed me how to do that, remember?"

Gibbs smiled softly. He was so glad that his girls had bonded so well and so quickly. "Yeah, Kaye. She did. It was on a piece of a glove found at the scene. But there was something off about it. The, uh, the print turned out to be Tony's."

Kaye shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She began twisting her hands and fingers nervously. Gibbs was about to tell her something bad. She could just feel it.

"Kaye, we found more evidence about Tony."

Suddenly she shot up from her place on the couch, threw her hands in the air, and full on yelled at him. Gibbs was completely taken aback.

"Tony didn't do anything! He wouldn't! Mom said he was crazy, but not bad crazy! He didn't hurt anyone!" Gibbs admired her strong tone, though he noticed the slight waver at the end.

"We know, Kaye. Come here." He brought her down, and for the first time, she climbed up and sat in his lap. "Someone is trying to make it look like Tony did something very bad, even though he didn't. You might hear people talking about around here right now. That's the only reason I am telling you about this. Otherwise, you would see us after it was all worked out and you wouldn't even have to know that anything ever happened."

The whole time, Kaye had continued fidgeting with her hands, staring at her feet, which hung over the edge of the couch. "I want to go see Tony and make sure he knows that I don't think he did it."

Gibbs winced. He should have seen that coming. She was Kate's kid, after all. She was smart and strong-headed, and so compassionate. Of course she would want to go see Tony. She barely knew him yet, but she needed to check on him.

"He isn't here right now."

Kaye looked up at him and studied his face carefully. The man was difficult to read, for sure, but Kaye could tell that he was still keeping something from her. Suddenly feeling her throat tighten just the tiniest bit, she spoke. "Where. Is. He?"

Gibbs shut his eyes. He had hoped to avoid this particular part. Because he knew damn well what came next. She would still want to see him. But there was no way he was taking a kid to a jail cell to see his agent. She was scarred enough from the things that she knew about around her. She didn't need a visual aide in her future nightmares.

"You remember Tobias Fornell, right? He stopped by last week and you met him before bed?"

Kaye nodded. The older man had come by the house to drop off some stuff for Gibbs. From what she had barely seen, it looked like a bunch of books. She had found out that the man was an old friend of Gibbs' who worked for the FBI and had a little girl not too much younger than herself. He seemed nice enough, though he was kind of an even surlier version of Gibbs from what she could tell.

"Fornell had to take over the case. Because Tony is on our team, we aren't allowed to investigate because we are too close to it. Earlier this afternoon, Fornell and I agreed that he was going to have to take Tony with him until everything was figured out with the case."

"Take him where?" And in that moment, he knew she wouldn't give up. He would have to tell her.

"Well, they took him to something that is kind of like a jail. But he's safe and he's by himself. And we're going to get him out of there as soon as we can, okay?"

Gibbs couldn't believe what happened next. He suddenly had a little eight-year-old wrapped around him, with her face buried in his shoulder, and she was sobbing.

Tony was in jail. The person that she knew most about from her mom, the one that helped her remember her mom every time that he was around, was in jail. In a scary room with bars for no good reason.

What if they couldn't solve the case? What if all of the evidence made it so that Tony would go to jail forever? What if he died in there? There were really bad guys in jail and Tony wasn't one of them. She couldn't lose Tony! She hadn't even gotten to know him yet!

Kaye had always prided herself on being a strong girl who didn't react to things. But she was scared for Tony and she was sad and she missed her mom and she hadn't cried since she died and she missed Roxy and their stupid little apartment and she just wanted to go back to when her mommy would come home after work and tell her a funny story about Tony or maybe Abby or Tim or Ducky or Gibbs and they were just people in her imagination not even people she knew and then her mom would sit in bed and cuddle her and tell her a story and then she would kiss her on the head and she would go to sleep. And she just missed her mommy so much!

Gibbs didn't know for sure what was going through the little girl's mind, but he figured it wasn't just about Tony. From the way that her crying had escalated from quiet cries to full-on sobs that seemed to be impeding her breathing, he figured that all of this had triggered her thoughts of Kate.

This was why he didn't want to tell her. She didn't need another traumatic moment in her young life. He drew her closer to him, and hugged her tight, rubbing small circles on her back with his right hand. Luckily, he wasn't completely out of practice when it came to crying females. Abby had her fair share of bad days and nights where nothing could help except a hug from him.

Whispering comforting words into her ear, he held her close until she began to calm down enough to properly breathe. Knowing what he knew of Kaye, he wasn't surprised when she wouldn't meet his eyes after she calmed. So he gently tipped her chin up and he looked into her eyes.

"Tony is going to be just fine. I promise you that, Kaye."

She nodded, looking down. Pausing for a moment, she debated telling him everything. Instead, she just said a few words.

"I miss my mom."

Gibbs felt tears fill his own eyes, threatening to spill over. He tucked the girl's head under his chin and hugged her to him.

"We all miss her, sweetheart. We all miss her."


	21. Chapter 21

Gibbs settled Kaye into Jenny's office with Ducky, and went down to check on Abby. He knew that she was probably sitting in her lab blaming herself for the fact that the evidence pointed to Tony. He wasn't exactly successful in cheering her up or setting her thoughts back on the right track, but he did manage to convince her that she needed sleep if she was going to help fight the good fight and get DiNozzo's name cleared. He knew damn well that if he just sent her home on her own, she would end up staying up half the night at her place, and going back in to the lab sometime before 0500. So, giving her a stern but quiet "order", he helped her gather her things and tucked her under his arm. It only took him the few moments' trek from the lab to Jenny's office to convince her that she should come home with him and Kaye. When he went in to grab Kaye, he found Jenny sitting behind her desk, working on paperwork with a smile on her face while Ducky taught Kaye the finer points of Solitaire with a deck of cards at the large table. He thanked them both, and with his two main girls, he headed home for another night of restless sleep.

Tony was in a worse state than Gibbs had anticipated when he arrived at his holding cell with his favorite pizza. It had been Kaye's suggestion on the way to school that morning. She had refused to exit the vehicle unless Gibbs promised to bring it to Tony.

He found himself smirking when Tony began his conversation with himself.

"You know, I've been thinking. I'm a federal prosecutor's dream."

"You do tend to date a lot, don't you, Mister DiNozzo?"

"Yeah. I do tend to date a lot but where does it say that dating, you know, a new girl every week is a crime?"

"No, it's not. But it does speak to your deep-seated psychological problems and commitment issues."

"Really? So you're saying my intimacy issues stem from my mother who dressed me as a sailor until I was ten years old?!"

"Maybe! Well, I guess it might explain why you objectify women and treat them as sexual objects. While you're being so forthright and insightful, Mister DiNozzo, why did you sink your teeth into the victim's leg?"

"Because I'm angry, and I'm immature and I like control!"

"You have no alibi."

"Alibi? How can I have an alibi when the murder doesn't even have a time or a date?"

"That's interesting. What about means? Latex glove? Scalpel? You could have gotten these things from ...work. No?"

"Right. Of course. Yes, I ripped a glove at the scene. It seems a little sloppy for a Federal agent who investigates crime scenes but, you know, those are the breaks when you're a homicidal maniac dumping butchered women's remains out in the woods in the middle of the night! Right?!"

Gibbs felt his stomach twist just a bit when Tony looked at him and said, "I'm not getting out of this one, am I, Boss?"

Giving his agent a headslap, Tony said, "Thank you, Boss."

"We're going to get you out of here as soon as we can. Mostly because there's an eight-year-old girl who probably isn't focusing on any of her schoolwork today because she's worried about you. You've barely conversed with her, but she's terrified that you'll be in jail forever. You're the one that she associates with Kate the most, because apparently, Kate spoke of you often. So we're going to figure this all out, and then you're going to sit down with her and explain that you are just fine."

Tony perked up a bit. So Kate talked about him a lot, hey? And Kaye really seemed to like him. Looking at his shoes, he made the decision that as soon as he got out of this mess, he would spend more time with the kid.

Gibbs turned on his heel and headed out. "Gotta get back. Oh, and the pizza's from Kaye."

Tony felt the first genuine smile in several days grow on his face. He'd have to thank her.

The last word. He always had to have the last word with her. It was probably at least a small factor in why they weren't still together today. All week, Jenny had been helpful and sympathetic and even kind toward him. And he had managed to screw it all up in one conversation. Getting angry at her for becoming the director? And all she was doing was attempting to give him much-needed information that she had looked up on her own time to help them out. He was definitely going to have to deal with that later, for Kaye's sake, if nothing else. But he didn't have time now. He had to get DiNozzo out.

Great. The carpet fiber found on the body matched Tony's car. And the blood drop on the leg came back as his, too. It was all just so damn perfect. Bite mark, blood drop, fingerprint in a glove, and a carpet fiber. Whoever was doing this really wanted DiNozzo to pay for something. And now Fornell had no choice but to book Tony. How the hell was he going prove Tony innocent? And worse, what was he supposed to tell Kaye? He was trying to build a good relationship with the kid. Lying to her hadn't been in his plans for that. But he sure as hell wasn't planning to give her nightmares over the fact that Tony was officially in deep trouble, either.

With nothing more that could be done that day, he left Abby in her lab to work her magic, and he went to pick up Kaye from school. He hadn't been able to do that since Tuesday, and it was now Friday. He wasn't sure what he was going to do with her if this whole debacle wasn't worked out soon. Tomorrow, he would need to be in early, so he would need someone to watch her. He figured that worst case, he could probably talk Palmer into babysitting for the day while the rest of them worked on the case. Being his first full week back after having Kaye move in, Gibbs had quickly realized that an after school care of some sort would be necessary, and he needed to find and hire a babysitter that he could trust in case of emergency cases on weekends such as this one. He couldn't keep depending on the team to take time away from their jobs to watch Kaye.

Gibbs strolled up to Kaye's classroom door just as the final bell rang. As per procedure at Brockton Academy, the students in Kindergarten through fourth grade had to be retrieved from their classrooms by a parent or guardian, older sibling, or a designated pick-up person. He stepped inside the open door to see parents greeting their children. Kaye was in the corner speaking with her teacher, Mrs. Lewis. Kaye happened to look over toward the door and saw him coming. She instantly lit up (something that caused his heart to do a little jump) and ran full bore at him, grabbing his hand and leading him toward her teacher.

"Mrs. Lewis! This is Gibbs! He's been really busy, so he couldn't pick me up the last couple days."

Gibbs had seen Mrs. Lewis in passing as she checked him off the list of approved pick-up people, but she had been busy with other parents and children and they hadn't had the chance to officially meet. He had called into the school the day before, warning them, without going into detail, that due to current circumstances, Kaye might be a bit off her game until things were figured out.

"Mr. Gibbs. It is wonderful to finally meet you. I understand you're quite busy with your job. Kaye has told me all about you all week."

Gibbs smiled at the teacher. The woman, probably in her early 40's, was obviously married, and judging by the photos that Gibbs had seen briefly on her desk, had three children of her own. She was shorter, with short brown hair and green eyes.

"Yeah. It's been a crazier than usual week. And Kaye and I are still working out the bumps."

Mrs. Lewis smiled at the two. Kaye was gripping Gibbs' hand tightly, looking up at him with pure admiration. The only thing that gave away her distracted state of mind the last two days, was the fact that she was chewing on her bottom lip.

"Well, it takes time to get a routine in place. But Kaye seems to be adjusting very well." Leaning in closer to Gibbs, she whispered, "I honestly haven't seen her this generally happy since her mother passed last year. She wasn't in my class then, but the staff here knows most of the students even if they don't teach them personally. She seems to be doing much better with you."

Gibbs gave the woman a nod and glanced down at Kaye. He could see that she wanted to go so that she could question him on what was happening with Tony.

The ride home wasn't particularly pleasant. The second her seatbelt was fastened, Kaye began with her barrage of questions. "Where's Tony? Is he still in jail? Have you found the bad guy who was doing this to him yet? When will you find him? Did you give Tony the pizza? Did he like it? Is he still funny in jail or is he too sad? Is Abby still sad? When will he be out? Can we have everyone over when it's all okay?"

Gibbs had answered most of them with his usual two to three word sentences. The truth of the matter was, he didn't have good answers for most of her questions, and it was beginning to piss him off. DiNozzo could be a jackass, sure, but he certainly didn't deserve what was happening to him, and Gibbs wasn't going to stand for it.

After they got home, Gibbs sent Kaye to her room to play. It was Friday night, so there wasn't a pressing need to do her homework that night, and he could really use some time with his boat to sort his mind out. So after a snack, Kaye ran off upstairs to play, and as soon as the first words of So Yesterday by Hilary Duff echoed through the hallway outside of Kaye's room and down the staircase, Gibbs figured it was safe to go down to the basement for a few minutes to himself.

He had been sanding his fourth plank of wood for the boat when he heard the front door slam shut, and footsteps above him. The jingle of keys eased his mind. It must be one of the team members. Glancing at his watch, he realized it was already after 1830, and Kaye would need dinner fairly soon. He looked up at the staircase just in time to see a pair of stiletto boots descend. There was only one person that had a key that would be caught dead in those on a workday. He was in for it. He would probably have to apologize, and he hated that.

Jenny stepped off of the last stair and dropped her purse on the floor in front of it. Pulling the elastic from her hair, she let it fall around her shoulders. She knew he had always liked it like that, though she was highly considering chopping it off to save her time and energy on a daily basis. She grabbed one of the few stools that he kept down there and brushed as much of the sawdust from it that she could before dragging it over near where Gibbs stood and sat on it.

"How is he, Jethro?"

Gibbs paused what he was doing and turned to look at her. Seeing no judgement or real anger (though there was always that level of annoyance on her face when she was around him – he was actually kind of proud of that) on her face, he put down the sanding block, grabbed his own stool, and sat and looked at her.

"Startin' to lose it. DiNozzo doesn't trust easily. It's got him scared. I want him out."

Jenny nodded. "We all do, Jethro." She paused, gauging his mood before continuing hesitantly, "How are – you?"

Normally, he probably would have rolled his eyes dramatically, and told her it wasn't about him, it was about DiNozzo. But with how easily she had let him off about being a royal ass earlier today, and the look of genuine concern on her face, he decided to try.

"Done. I want Tony out. I want Abby to stop being on the edge of an emotional cliff. I want McGee and Ziva to stop being nervous. I want to stop having to answer Kaye's constant questions about what's happening to Tony."

"You told her everything?"

"Most of it. Left out the gory details about the severed legs and the bite marks. But she knows where he is, and it's messing with her more than I would have thought. Kate talked about him more than anyone when she would tell Kaye stories. He's barely spoken to her, but she has this attachment to him. And the idea of losing him triggered a bunch of pent up stuff about losing Kate."

He stopped, looking at the ground. "I've got to get him out of this."

Ignoring every warning sign going off in her mind, Jenny reached over and placed her hand over Gibbs' own that rested on his knee. His eyes shot up to hers questioningly.

"You will, Jethro. You always do. You know that. Your team knows that. Tony knows that. I know that. And you know what? One day, Kaye will, too." Giving his hand a quick squeeze before pulling back, she added, "It doesn't look great now, but I bet that before the weekend is done, Agent DiNozzo will be sitting on your couch, eating your food, drinking your beer, and taking over your television set."

Gibbs smirked at the thought. He was surprised at how well she knew his team after only being there for less than six months.

She was right. He would get Tony out of this. He had to. They all believed in him.

A/N: Alright, so if I said that this would be the last chapter of this episode, I lied. Accidentally, I swear! One more. I promise. Also, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are incredibly busy for me, but I have stored up an extra chapter to hopefully post tomorrow night or Wednesday sometime. Hopefully I'll be able to cram in some writing time and get another chapter finished for Thursday or Friday. Your reviews have been wonderful. You're the best!


	22. Chapter 22

Gibbs had called Palmer after dinner the night before. Luckily he was free all day Saturday and was willing to watch Kaye. Jimmy had fought Gibbs when he offered to pay him for the day, but Gibbs wasn't having any of it. It was his own fault for not looking ahead to cases bleeding into evenings and weekends. It was one thing for a team member to kind of keep an eye on the girl for a few hours while they were doing their own work at NCIS, but it was another situation completely to give up your entire Saturday starting at 0530 to watch her.

After checking in quickly with Abby and McGee, they finally caught a break in the case with the DNA of the legs. And after discovering that the nurse still clearly had her own legs, it gave Gibbs almost a sick thrill to be back in that coroner's office going after what Kaye had so eloquently called "the bad guy". Watching Ziva slap him was a treat, too. But nothing made him happier than when they managed to find the Jane Doe that was missing her legs and he could finally make the call he had been waiting to make.

Tony was free and clear of all charges. But something still wasn't sitting right in Gibbs' famous gut. That coroner was a moron. There was no way that he could have pulled the whole scheme off on his own. There was a partner out there, of that Gibbs was certain. But he had no idea where to even begin looking.

But for now, the team was in a celebratory mood. Well, most of them were, anyway. Abby was still down in her lab running tests. Last he checked, she wasn't convinced that they had gotten all of the answers yet and she wasn't about to rest another second until she was certain. McGee and Ziva seemed thrilled to have Tony back, as annoyed as they often were with him, and he probably hadn't seen a more genuine smile on DiNozzo's face in a long time.

He was surprised when he saw Jenny descending from the catwalk, a folder in her hands. She had been far more patient with him during the whole ordeal than she needed to be. And willingly helpful, too. So when she handed him the black folder full of the notes on Stewart's case, he was thankful, though he couldn't help but messing with her a bit.

"I got the court records from Stewart's case against Baltimore unsealed." Jenny said with a small smile on her face. She had been watching Gibbs' team from above, and seeing their joy at having DiNozzo back had made her happy.

"You're a little late, Jen." Gibbs said as he flipped through the first pages of the case file. He paused for just a second, waiting for the look and angry sigh that he knew he would get, adding, after he got just what he wanted and with a big grin and a laugh, "Uh…I mean, thank you, Director."

Jenny gave him a short nod and a smirk, knowing just what he had been up to. But if he was going to dish it out, so was she. "Better, Jethro."

NCIS NCIS NCIS

Down in Abby's lab, the gothic forensic scientist was giving Pemberton Labs an earful. Someone had tried to use the thing she loved most other than her favorite people against her Tony. And she did consider him hers, in the same way that she considered the entire team hers. They had been close friends for five years, now. Nobody messed with her people.

When the phone cut out, she flipped around on her spinning chair to see Chip standing there with a large knife in his hand. She knew that she should have probably felt fear. After all, there was a knife-wielding maniac in her lab, but instead, she continued to grip her giant Caf-Pow cup while glaring and yelling at him. She was far less afraid than she was downright pissed.

"It was you! You worked at Pemberton Medical Analysis." Abby stated as she stood from her chair, staring Chip down.

"Until I got fired!"

"You took this job just to set up Tony?" Oh, was she mad. He may be pointing a knife at her, but she wasn't backing down on this one.

Chip grinned to himself, contorting his face in a way that just make him look crazier. He continued pointing the knife directly at Abby's face. "Yep. And I did a pretty good job at it, didn't I? Didn't I? You know, I thought a fair trade would be taking down those two idiots who got me fired! But you couldn't leave well enough alone, could you? Could you?!"

Abby felt the first surge of actual fear run through her as Chip lunged with the knife.

NCIS NCIS NCIS

Ziva was laughing loudly at something that Tony had said, Ducky and Tim standing by with grins on their faces. Even Jenny had a small smile tugging at her lips as Gibbs looked over the case file. When he saw the photo, his stomach dropped as he let the folder fall to the desk and took off at a run toward the stairs that would lead him down to Abby's lab. His team, knowing when something was wrong, immediately reacted, taking off after him, as Jenny, confused as to what he had seen, asked, "Jethro?"

She looked back down at the page that he had just been on when she realized and began to run after her favorite team.

NCIS NCIS NCIS

"ABBY!" Gibbs yelled desperately into the lab, gun drawn. His team was only steps behind him. He saw the trashed state of her typically pristine lab first and felt his heart lurch into his throat. He couldn't lose her. Turning the corner, he saw the goth sitting on an office chair in the middle of her destroyed lab, hunched over. He felt like he would be sick.

Suddenly, she began to spin around, her hair a mess and an exhausted look upon her face. It was only after seeing that his girl was alive and well did he notice Chip hogtied with duct tape, covered in melted Caf-Pow, rolling around in broken glass on the floor.

He suddenly felt a massive grin engulf his face. THAT'S MY GIRL, he thought.

Jenny and Ducky had arrived quickly behind them.

Abby pointed to Chip laying behind her, and she looked straight at Jenny. "Now can I work alone?!"

Jenny just smiled.

NCIS NCIS NCIS

Jenny had called in a maintenance crew to clean up the lab while Ducky checked Abby for signs of real injury. There were a few bumps and bruises from her fight with the criminal, but nothing she wouldn't recover from fairly quickly. Gibbs had allowed McGee and Ziva to drag Chip up to the agents who would be delivering him to jail. With all of the evidence, as well as Abby's testimony, and the fact that there was a camera in Abby's lab that had recorded the whole incident, there was no question "Chip" would be going to prison for a long time.

Abby found herself leaning into Gibbs' side as he stood next to where she sat on his chair behind his desk. Tony hadn't left her side, either. Gibbs could see that there was a lot of mutual unnecessary guilt between the two of them right now. He gave DiNozzo a look and motioned him to come and take his place beside the goth. He needed to check in with Palmer, anyway.

As Gibbs headed toward the break room to make his call, Tony sat on the edge of his boss's desk facing Abby. She wouldn't even look at him.

"Abbs, I'm so sorry."

Well, that got her attention. She looked up at him, completely confused. "What are you sorry for? I'm the one who should be sorry! I almost let forensics put you in jail. I DID let forensics put you in jail! I'm the worst friend ever!" She was finally feeling the effect of having very little sleep over the last few days catch up to her emotions. Her eyes began to fill with tears. "Can you ever forgive me, Tony?"

Tony looked down at her, shocked. He immediately grabbed her by the arms and pulled them both up to a standing position so that he could wrap her in a hug.

"Forgive you?! Abby, this was all my fault! Because he had a grudge against me, you could have been killed. Do you know what that would have done to me? To all of us?! It's me who's sorry, Abbs."

Abby pulled back out of the embrace. She had missed their big hugs. They hadn't been nearly as common as they once had in the past two years, but especially so since she had dated Tim. "Tony, I think we're both idiots."

He let out a bark of laughter and tugged her back against him. It always surprised him, how much smaller than him she actually was. Abby was not short woman, especially not in those giant boots that she wore, but anytime that he hugged her, he was reminded that although she was fierce and fiery and funny, she was still Abby. She was vulnerable. And they could have lost her tonight.

After a moment, they pulled out of the hug, and Abby turned around as the both sat on the edge of Gibbs' desk, facing the Most Wanted wall. They were silent for a moment, until Tony spoke.

"So, uh, Kaye sent me a pizza when I was in the slammer, hey?"

Abby smirked. "Oh really. She does seem to kind of like you, for whatever reason." She laughed at his glare.

"Yeah, well, I was thinkin' that maybe I should actually try and get to know her."

Abby nudged his shoulder with her own. "I'm kind of surprised you haven't already. You were awfully excited when she arrived. I thought you guys bonded that day."

"I'm no good with kids, Abbs."

Abby shook her head at him. "But she's not just any kid, Tony. She's hers. And if there's anyone who knows what that should mean to you…" she trailed off, hesitant to continue. These were things that the two of them didn't talk about. Not really. They didn't talk about his dates. They didn't talk about McGee, or her dates since. They definitely didn't talk about Kate and what might've been. But they were practically best friends, once and for always, no matter how much they may drift in and out over time.

She continued. "If there's anyone who knows what that means, it's me. Kate was like the sister I never had. We talked about everything…" Abby felt her throat tighten and her eyes begin to sting. Damn exhaustion. They didn't talk about Kate for a reason. It still hurt so bad. Tony lifted his arm and rested it around Abby's shoulders. She began speaking again. "We talked about life. We talked about boys. We talked about the could be's and the should be's and the maybe's and our dreams. And you – well, I just know you too damn well."

They both chuckled drily. Yeah. He knew Abby pretty well, too.

"You need to get to know her, Tony. Not just for her – she adores you, you know. Doesn't even know you yet, and you're one of her favorites. But for you. There's a lot that we don't talk about and there's even more that we never will talk about. Everything was so sudden and so harsh and hurt so much. There was no closure when Kate died. Just pain and fear and regrets. But this little girl has showed up in our lives and she's a piece of Kate. A hurting little piece of Kate. And she's so great, Tony. She really is."

Tony squeezed Abby's shoulder. She was right. There was a lot they didn't talk about. Like feelings. Like hard things. Like the fact that every morning when he woke up, he still felt Kate's blood and brain matter dripping from his face. But there was this little girl, this shining light in the darkness that they tried to forget (but couldn't, really) who needed them.

"Alright. I agree with you, but it doesn't change that I'm terrible with kids." Abby went to fight him, but he shushed her before continuing. "However, if I had someone along who happened to be a natural with kids to help ease the tension, maybe I could work on all of that."

Abby brightened up. "And just what are you thinking?"

He thought for a moment. What was he already good at that could be transferred to kids? Dating (okay, well he wasn't good at it, clearly, but he was practiced)? Shooting guns? Sarcasm?

Movies.

He was GREAT at movies. And he could handle kid movies. And he would bet that Kaye probably hadn't seen that many in the grand scheme of things.

Abby watched his face closely, grinning when he lit up. "Movies, Abbs! We could have movie nights. At my place. With food. I'm good with movies and I'm good with food. All I need is a peppy, gothic icebreaker."

"I believe I can be of service to you." She said happily.

The two chatted for awhile longer, deciding to speak to Gibbs about the idea of a weekly movie night.

"Speak of the devil." Abby said with a grin as Gibbs turned the corner into the bullpen.

"Had a lot of nicknames in my life. I think that was a favorite of all of the ex wives." He said with just a hint of a smirk on his face. "What the hell are your butts doing on my desk?"

Abby and Tony immediately jumped up, laughing. "Sorry Boss. How's the squirt?"

Gibbs told them of his conversation with Kaye. She had had a fairly boring day with Jimmy, though she still seemed to like him at the end of the day, so at least that was something. But he was happy to report that Kaye was through the roof when he told her that Tony was out of jail and that the bad guys were going to jail. Tony and Abby discussed their idea with Gibbs, and they decided that the movie nights could potentially become a weekly thing on Friday nights. It was close to 2130, though, and all of them were sleep deprived, and there was a little girl who was refusing to go to bed until Gibbs got home. But neither Tony nor Abby were quite ready to be alone.

Secretly he was happy that they weren't fighting it. He had been planning on making at least Abby come home with him for the night, to make sure that she didn't wake up alone and afraid.

"Hey, uh, Boss. I was wondering if maybe I could crash on the couch for the night. I mean, I haven't been home…there's no food…" Tony looked nervously around the room.

Within minutes, Gibbs was in his car with Tony and Abby following in their own.

NCIS NCIS NCIS

It had taken much longer than necessary to get Kaye into bed once he arrived with Abby and DiNozzo in tow. First Palmer had to leave, and then there was the excitement over Abby being there. And then there was the incredibly amusing moment when Kaye climbed up on to a very confused-looking DiNozzo's lap and began attacking him with questions about being framed and the bad guys and being in jail, and most importantly, if he liked the pizza. Abby had seen Tony's nervousness and sat down beside him, easing him in to the situation with a little help and reassurance.

Once Gibbs had managed to pry Kaye away from her new favorite people and get her to bed (but only under the condition that Abby was to bunk with her – Abby happily obliged; she was exhausted and the bed was more than big enough for both of them), he sent Tony to sleep in his bed upstairs. Gibbs was just as comfortable on the couch, anyways. After making himself a late night snack, he did a quick check of all three of his "kids" (passed right out, thankfully), checked the locks on his front and back doors, and fully intended on heading down to unwind with his boat. But, he just wanted to sit on the couch and relax for a few minutes.

Ten minutes later, light snores were all that could be heard from the living room.

A/N: That's it! That's Frame-Up! It's over! And Tony and Kaye are going to start bonding. And we've gone into a bit of Gibbs and Jenny's background and chemistry, as well as hinting at what could have been between Tony and Kate. And yay for Tony and Abby being super close friends! Anyways, I'll start working on the next chunks of the season. I'm really hoping to blow through most of the rest of this season, because it's the end of season three and the beginning of season four that are really going to shift Gibbs and Kaye's relationship with each other and with the team. Thanks for continuing to read and review!


	23. Chapter 23

"Abby, are you sure this is a good idea? Sitting on the boss's couch watching TV with everyone is one thing, but having a kid over to my place, where I have to actually entertain her, which means talking to her, something I am clearly terrible at, is a completely different ballgame!"

Tony had been navigating the streets of DC while trying to convince Abby over the phone that a movie night with Kaye wasn't a good idea. Originally, he'd been happy with the plan, a little excited, even. But now it was Friday. Gibbs had managed to free them all fairly early after a slow week at work, and had disappeared to go and pick Kaye up before Tony, Ziva, and McGee had even been able to pack up their things. Abby had arranged all of the plans, wanting to make sure that they actually took place. Gibbs was picking Kaye up from school, spending a little bit of time with her working on homework, and then Tony and Abby were supposed to pick her up for their night with her at six. They were going to have pizza and watch one of Tony's favorites that was also kid-appropriate, The Princess Bride.

"Anthony DiNozzo! It is five forty-five. Even if I were to let you back out, which I wouldn't, it is far too late for that now. Kaye has been looking forward to this all week and you are not going to disappoint her! Do you hear me? I'm just pulling up the block to Gibbs' house. Where are you?"

Tony checked the street sign as he passed it. "Three blocks out. Why don't you go in and warm things up?"

Abby pulled her car into Gibbs' driveway and put it in park. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she rolled her eyes. Tony DiNozzo could be the most egotistical, self-obsessed, overconfident moron out there, but when it came to an eight-year-old girl, well, he was an eight-year-old girl! She understood, to an extent. Tony wasn't exactly a natural with kids. They'd seen that with Zach. It wasn't his fault. Looking at his history, he'd never been exposed to kids in his adult life. It wasn't that he didn't try, he just kind of failed miserably. But Kaye wasn't just any kid. He didn't have to try to impress her. For some reason, she already thought he was some version of Superman.

"Ton-y," Abby whined. "It's not like she's the Director. She's eight." Abby climbed out of her car, and slamming her door shut, she glanced over her shoulder to see headlights coming toward her. "Okay, I see you. Park your car and get over here- "

Tony tried to fight her more. "Nuh, uh, DiNozzo! I don't want to hear it. Get your ass over here! I'm hanging up."

With that, she slammed her phone shut and tossed it into her oversized black and silver studded purse. Placing her hands on her hips, she glared across the road at him. She was glad she had worn that extra sweater tonight. It was already the second of December and though the weather had been holding back so far, it was deadly cold out, and there were heavy snow clouds looming above. The first flakes had begun to fall a few hours ago, but they had been picking up speed, and there was now a good layer of snow covering most surfaces outside. She just wouldn't have been able to get the same effect by standing there shivering and trying to glare.

Tony slowly got out of his car and shut the door gently behind him. He wanted to get to know Kaye, he really did. She seemed great, and she was a part of Kate. But he knew it would end up being painfully awkward. He just wasn't any good when it came to kids. He tried too hard, and he either talked to them like they were babies or like they were adults. He never seemed to be able to find that middle ground. Looking up, he saw the Abby glare. Damn, she was improving. Had she been taking actual lessons from the Boss? He remembered back to a few years ago, she would try to do the same thing she was doing now, and he would laugh at her (earning him an admittedly painful punch, but so worth it!). Accepting his fate, he dragged himself across the street and over to Gibbs' driveway.

"Alright," Tony said, wrapping one arm around Abby, attempting to stop the glare and start her moving toward the house, "Let's do this."

Taking his statement as all of the enthusiasm she would get tonight, she perked up, gripped the arm that was slung around her shoulder with her gloved hand, and let him lead her toward the front door.

Tony used his key that he had been given and let Abby go in ahead of him. Making sure to lock the door behind him, he turned around to see Kaye bounding down the stairs and jumping on the happy goth. Grinning, he admitted to himself that at least this kid was cool. Gibbs appeared from the basement within seconds, walking over to give Abby a hug and a kiss on the cheek, leaving Kaye time to greet Tony.

He was still taking in the whole scene when he was hit by a force that knocked him back a few steps.

"TONY! Are you excited for movie night? I can't wait! Are we having pizza? Can we have Hawaiian and pepperoni pizzas? I really like both kinds. Abby said you picked a movie. It better not be boring. I don't want to watch a boring movie. What movie is it?"

In all of Kaye's question-filled speech, Tony had found himself thrown back with a massive hug, and somehow, automatically, Tony had scooped the girl up and she was currently rested on his hip. Gibbs looked over and actually laughed, alerting Abby to the scene. She grinned at the fear-stricken look on Tony's face. Kaye continued babbling, getting mumbled word-sounds from Tony. Gibbs nudged Abby. "He gonna survive this?"

Wrapping her hand delicately around Gibbs' arm, she tipped her head onto his shoulder. "He thinks he's a lot worse at this than he is. I'll take care of them, I promise."

Gibbs extracted his arm from her grasp and wrapped it around her shoulder, tucking Abby into his side. He was genuinely happy with how well Abby and Kaye had taken to each other.

His team knew nothing of Shannon and Kelly, making Abby seem like the only (almost) daughter he had ever had. He remembered the first day he met her when she was going in for an interview at NCIS. At first he thought she was a walking teenage rebellion with a concerning amount of pep. He hadn't even believed she was old enough to have a degree. But after hearing that she was going to be rejected because of her appearance, he happened upon her in his favorite diner down the street from the Navy Yard. She clearly hadn't gotten the call, because after he sat down at the counter, he felt her plop down beside him. He tried to ignore her. She made a comment about the fact that she had seen him drink 3 cups of coffee earlier in the day while she was waiting around, and now he was ordering a fourth.

He gave her the glare. She said it was just an observation, and that she was just as much of an addict, although she liked hers in the form of frozen fruit punch, and she wormed her way into his heart. During their 45 minute accidental lunch meeting, she told him all about where she grew up (New Orleans), her parents (both deaf, father deceased – his heart cramped a bit at that), her passion for science and forensics (beginning in a junk yard when she was a kid), some of her college experiences (there were stories he could have lived without hearing), and the fact that she had been rejected by seven other job opportunities, presumably because of her looks (but she wasn't going to change for anyone, even if it took her forever to find the right job). By the end of lunch, she had him smiling, something that was fairly rare for him. He paid for both of their lunches, handed her his card, and told her that he would be seeing her soon. She asked if he was the one hiring. He told her to trust him. She told him she already did.

It took all of five minutes to go above the people who did the hiring, straight to the director, and tell him that he wanted Abigail Sciuto in the lab. The director liked Gibbs, and knew that if there was someone that he actually got along with, it was probably someone they needed on their team.

The next morning, he walked in to the open door of the lab with a giant red and white cup, and was greeted with the first of many Abby hugs.

The rest was history. She had always been special to him, and within weeks of their first meeting, he found that she helped to numb an ache in him that had been there since 1991. Abby could never replace Kelly, but knowing that the two were really only four years apart in age, and having her by his side daily helped. Since then, it was always hugs, secretly signing to each other (something he had picked up in the Marines, but worked on more just for her), caffeine consumption, and time spent together. He had lost a daughter; she had lost her dad. It was written in the stars.

Having Kaye come into their lives could have put a strain on that relationship. Abby was known for her jealousy, whether she would ever admit it or not. But so far, she had slipped into an aunt/much older sister role with ease. Hell, since Kaye showed up at the beginning of November, Abby had stayed over in Kaye's room with her at least five times.

Gibbs glanced over at Tony and Kaye again. "I hate to interrupt, but Kaye, you aren't going anywhere until that room is clean. It looks like a hurricane hit it. Upstairs, now."

"Giiiiiibbs, can't I just clean it when I get back?" the girl whined. Gibbs hid his smirk well. Kaye was a reasonable kid, but even she was prone to complaining at times.

"Not a chance. Up you go. Faster you finish, faster you get to go." Kaye groaned as Tony lowered her to the ground. She rolled her eyes with a dramatic sigh before begrudgingly climbing the stairs.

Tony slowly walked over to where Gibbs and Abby were standing.

"So, think you can handle a movie night, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

Tony gave a pleading look to Abby. All it took was one glare from her for him to respond positively. "Uh, yeah, Boss. Pizza and a movie. And Abby's going to be there. Should be fine."

Gibbs nodded. He had no doubt that if left alone for a little while, especially in a situation where there were no other options for people to watch Kaye, that the two would bond quickly and naturally. But if Tony felt that he needed his gothic security blanket for the first few times that he and Kaye spent time together, then so be it. Gibbs gave them a few instructions, like no sugar after 2100, home by 2200 (it was a weekend and they had the day off tomorrow), and so on.

Within a few minutes, Kaye came bursting down the stairs, winter boots making her sound a lot larger than she was.

"Eh! Don't run in those things! You're gonna tr- "Gibbs shouted, interrupted mid word when the girl missed a step and went flying. Luckily working for NCIS kept Gibbs' reflexes sharp as he jumped in front of the stairs, catching the girl before she tumbled all the way to the bottom. "trip."

Kaye hugged him tightly, a little panicked. Gibbs hoisted her up and held her, rubbing her back. "You okay?"

She just buried her face in his neck, nodding. He gently let her down onto her own two feet.

"Alright. It's snowing and icy out there. You be careful, you hear me? And you listen to these two."

Kaye agreed as Abby helped her put her big poufy white coat on. "I promise. I'll be good."

Abby went over and whispered in Gibbs' ear. "It's starting to snow a lot, Gibbs. I was thinking we should maybe throw a change of clothes into the car in case we go out and play in it for a bit. You know how much I love the snow."

Gibbs smirked at his grown-up girl. "Alright, DiNozzo, go warm up Abby's car. Kaye, go ahead and go with him. I'll be out in a minute with Abby to say goodbye."

Gibbs threw a change of clothes into a small Minnie Mouse backpack. Then he decided it was as good a time as any to set up the go-bag system he had been considering recently as Kaye became more comfortable and spent more time with the team. He tossed in a pair of pajamas, underwear, and a second change of day clothes, before running to the bathroom and throwing in a new toothbrush. Passing by Kaye's room on the way to the stairs, he stopped when he noticed Bertha sitting on the corner of the bed. Kaye had become quite attached to the toy, and it seemed to serve as a sort of security blanket for her. She typically took it with her everywhere except for school, so he quickly ran in and grabbed it, as well. He figured she had probably forgotten it in all of the excitement.

Greeting Abby at the bottom of the stairs, he explained the bag and led her out of the house.

He grinned, seeing Tony sitting in the passenger side of Abby's car, with Kaye in the driver's seat. She was all smiles and was chatting up a storm. And though he couldn't see Tony joining in the conversation, he noticed that the younger man at least had a smile on his face, now. He almost seemed mesmerized by the child.

Gibbs knocked on the window of the car and Tony and Kaye clamoured out of the vehicle.

"Alright. You be good and listen to Abby and DiNozzo and I'll see you in a bit, okay?"

Kaye grinned and nodded. Gibbs gave Tony a nod and Abby a quick peck on the cheek before turning to head back into the house. Suddenly Kaye bolted across the lawn toward him.

"Gibbs!"

He turned around just in time to catch Kaye and lift her up, where he promptly received a death squeeze of a hug that could rival one of Abby's.

He realized that though she had spent a lot of time without him with members of the team, it had nearly always been at NCIS or at his place, not somewhere else. He understood what was going on.

Whispering in her ear while stroking her hair, Gibbs told Kaye, "I'm only a phone call away. You go watch a movie and have some pizza and I'll work on my boat. I'll see you in just a few hours."

Kaye reluctantly leaned back, looking into the older Marine's eyes. "Okay."

Gibbs wasn't satisfied, so he gave her a short kiss on the end of her nose, which in turn, caused Kaye to scrunch up her nose and giggle, exactly as he had planned. With one more quick squeeze, he set her down and she ran back and climbed into Abby's red truck.

"Meet you at your place, Tony!" Abby shouted across the street, where DiNozzo stood, waiting by his car.

"Yupp. See you in a few."

Tony pulled away first, hoping to get back to his place before the girls so that he could be there to open up for them. Before Abby drove off, Gibbs knocked on her window and she rolled it down.

"You drive carefully. I want both of you back safe and sound."

"Will do. See you soon, Gibbs."

Gibbs patted her hand and nodded, waving at Kaye and stepping back as Abby rolled her window up.

Once he couldn't see their taillights anymore, he stomped through the snow, back into his warm house.

He had a date with a good bourbon and his boat.


	24. Chapter 24

Abby had decided to stop at the store on the way to Tony's to grab a few favorite snacks for movie night, letting Kaye choose a few items, as well. Just because they would be taking her home in a few hours didn't mean that she couldn't be hopped up on sugar when she got back to Gibbs. Sure, he'd be annoyed, but they didn't plan to have her back until at least 9:30, so at least she would probably be getting tired.

Abby pulled her car into one of the few open parking spots on Tony's street. Luckily it wasn't too far from the front door of the building, and looking up, she noted that she would be able to see her car from his apartment. She didn't like leaving her car out in the open unattended. Tony buzzed the girls in and they passed the doorman, Carl, an older gentleman who Abby had learned several years ago had taken the job after retirement out of boredom. She loved to chat with Carl, and often wondered if Gibbs would end up the same one day. She didn't see him taking to retirement well.

"My, my, my. Is that my Abigail Sciuto? It has been some time!"

Kaye kept close as Abby rushed over to give the man a hug.

"Carl! How are you?! I know, it has been ages! But, you know, we've been busy at work and…"

"You know, you used to be here several times a week visiting Anthony. Now, I've seen you maybe six or seven times in the past two plus years?"

Abby grinned sheepishly at the floor. "I know. Things change, and as I said, work's been busy – life has been busy. But I missed talking to you!"

Carl suddenly noticed Abby's young companion, a brown haired, blue eyed beauty who couldn't have been more than seven or eight.

"And who is this?"

Abby grinned, turning around and waving Kaye over from behind her. Kaye quickly came to Abby's side, standing close, but smiling warmly.

"This is Kaye. Do, uh, do you remember Kate?"

Carl nodded sadly. "Of course I remember Caitlin. Sweet girl. Only met her a few times, but she seemed to keep Anthony in line. I still remember the look on his face that night when he came in and told me what happened to her. He hasn't been quite himself, since."

Abby smiled softly. This was true. Even though he and Kate had had some sort of flirtation going on, he had still dated too many girls to count in that year and a half. He had always been a bit of a playboy, but Abby knew he was harmless and had the heart of a broken young boy deep down. He was really just a sweetheart hiding behind his big mask. But since Kate's death, he had been telling more stories, but seeing fewer girls.

Abby placed her arm around Kaye. "This is Kaye. She is Kate's daughter. When she – when she passed, well, through a series of events, Kaye ended up with Gibbs, our boss. But tonight is movie night for us! And you know that there's no place better than Tony's for that."

The old man smiled at the young girl, shaking her hand.

"It is very nice to meet you, Kaye. You're very right. I've never heard someone who knows more about movies than Mr. DiNozzo up there. Now, off you go. You two ladies have yourselves a nice evening. Abby, it was wonderful seeing you, again."

"See you later, Carl!" Abby called as they headed toward the elevator. Kaye waved quickly at the man.

"It was nice meeting you, Carl." With that, Kaye rushed over behind Abby before climbing in the elevator.

NCIS NCIS NCIS

Tony puttered around his house, attempting to fix anything that might be out of place. He had already put away his GSMs and Sports Illustrateds, as well as moved his more expensive breakables up to high shelves. Kaye was a responsible kid from what he could tell, but even an accident could cause something to be broken. And though he wouldn't really blame her if something happened, he knew she would be upset and it would just ruin the night. Looking at the time, he realized that they should have been there, already. He had buzzed them into the building awhile ago. But then he remembered Carl was on duty, and Abby hadn't been around much lately. He was just about to head downstairs to collect them when he heard the door open behind him.

He turned around quickly, classic DiNozzo smile plastered on his face. Even if he was uncomfortable and nervous, he was going to do his best to have a good time. After all, Abby was giving up one of her precious Friday nights for this.

Kaye ran in toward him, forgetting the fact that her coat and winter boots were still on and slammed into him, hugging him tight.

"Tony! I'm so excited! Is the Princess Bride a fairy tale? Is it romantic? Does it have a happy ending? I don't want to watch it if it's sad!"

Tony found himself laughing at the girl. Glancing up at Abby, who gave him a quick nod of encouragement, he looked back at Kaye. "Why don't you go take off your coat and boots and we'll get set up. The pizza should be here any minute. We'll chow down and then watch the movie."

Kaye hopped happily over to the door, where she pulled her jacket off and set to work on her boots. Abby stepped around the eight-year-old as she hung her warm cape on the stand by the door. She had already extricated herself from the deathtraps she called boots. She went straight to Tony, who gave her a hug and a very Gibbs-esque peck on the cheek before whispering in her ear, "Thanks for doing this."

Abby threw him one of her brilliant smiles. "Anytime, Tonyboy."

He groaned loudly. Abby had come up with that nickname not long after he started at NCIS, about the time that she decided she no longer hated him. She had gotten away with it only twice before he had blackmailed her with his own dirt on her and she had finally agreed not to continue calling him that at work. She knew that off the clock he couldn't really boss her around, even if he tried. But she had generally kept it between the two of them, and – well - Gibbs, over the years. He did give her points, however, for the movie reference.

Abby directed Kaye to the couch and told her she could play with her Nintendo DS until the pizza arrived. Meanwhile, she and Tony chatted over in his kitchen about the case that had nearly had him put in prison permanently. At work, he was fairly aloof with the goth, but not when they were off the clock. He knew how sensitive she was despite her outfit choices and her Chip-kicking skills. And he knew that she had been struggling with the idea of her forensics hurting him.

"Abbs, how many times do we need to go over this? You did nothing wrong. You followed the evidence, and in the end, you helped get me out. And you proved it was Chip. You did your job, and that's all I could ever ask from you."

Abby began flailing her arms. "But – maybe you wouldn't have had to spend all that time in that teeny tiny gross little jail cell for all those hours!"

Tony turned to Abby, gently grasping her by the arms and focussing her on his face. He'd gone from a happy, joking manner to a serious one. If she was this upset, she needed to understand.

"Abby Sciuto, I could never really be angry with you, no matter what you did. You would probably have to murder my non-existent family to make me hate you, and you could never do anything nearly that terrible. You are sweet and smart. You are the best at what you do – not just in the lab, but as the heart of our team. When shit happens, you pull us back together and ground us. You and your science were never to blame for any of what happened. Chip had a grudge. He is the one completely at fault for this." Tony paused for a moment, making sure that she was still paying attention before continuing. "And he could have killed you. Where would any of us be if that had happened? Honestly, Abby. Out of everything that happened, me spending a couple of days in a cell was nothing compared to the fear that we all felt in that moment after we realized it had been Chip. And for that split second when we rushed into your lab and found you sitting stone still on that chair, we thought we had lost you. If anyone is going to be sorry here, it's damn well going to me for letting you end up in that situation. Got it?"

Abby stood completely still, green eyes wide and glassy. Immediately she lunged forward to hug Tony. "OOF. Abby, oxygen!"

With a small smile, she let go.

"Alright, now that that's settled, can we leave it behind us? I'm kind of looking forward to forgetting the whole thing happened."

Abby nodded with a grin. "Yeah. I guess we can."

Just then, the phone rang and Tony buzzed the pizza delivery guy in.

Suddenly feeling a lot less nervous about something as simple as talking to a little girl, Tony called out from the kitchen area, "Pizza's on it's way up! Kaye, go wash up for dinner."

Kaye jumped up with an excited smile on her face. Tony was finally speaking directly to her without a look of terror on his face! This was going to be a great night!


	25. Chapter 25

Tony plopped the bowl of popcorn on Kaye's lap. They were just moments into the movie. Abby sat on the far right of the couch, and Tony on the left, leaving Kaye happily snuggled beneath a blanket between them. He normally kept his apartment relatively cool. Abby knew and came prepared with an extra sweater and her favorite fuzzy black and red striped socks, but after he had noticed Kaye's discomfort, he had quickly run over and turned the thermostat up. It was a bit warmer, now, but he grabbed an old quilt that he had had as a child out of the linen closet and tucked it around both of the girls.

"Farm Boy, polish my horse's saddle. I want to see my face shining in it by morning."

"As you wish."

Tony glanced down at the little brown haired beauty. Her eyes were dancing and he was thrilled. This was one of his favorite films, and he already knew that Abby was a fan, but he was excited to share it with someone for the first time.

"Is this a kissing book?"

Kaye giggled happily. Tony smiled down at her, pleased with his choice. He turned his focus to the movie.

Kaye was great during the movie. She didn't ask endless questions or fidget like most kids might, though she was prone to expressing herself when something was particularly scary or funny or sweet. She gripped Tony's arm, leaning into him and hiding her eyes during the eel scene. She was clearly confused when the funny but supposedly evil Man in Black first appeared at the top of the cliffs. Her small frame tensed up during the sword fight. She was mesmerized by the real giant. She tugged on Tony's arm during the poison scene.

"Tony, this guy is weird."

He let out a bark of laughter at that. "That he is." In that moment, Tony raised his arms in a stretch and Kaye took the opportunity to cuddle into his side. Abby snickered at him, but he ignored her and gently rested his arm around the little girl. He felt her leap against his side. "It's WESTLEY!"

"Shh, Bella." He said with a laugh. She turned and gave him an odd look. He had called her that when they first met, but never since. She hadn't originally liked it. But now it seemed like Tony was really trying with her, and if he wanted to give her a little nickname, she could handle it. Maybe she would even grow to like it one day.

"EWWW! What's that?!"

Abby piped up. "That, my dear, is an R.O.U.S."

She gave her a Kate-esque glare.

Tony chimed in at Abby's laugh. "Rodent of Unusual Size. You'll find out."

They spent the rest of the movie that way, curled up on the couch together. They had to take a bathroom break two thirds of the way through (next time they would say no to letting her have a fourth glass of orange soda), but they made fairly good time in finishing the movie. Tony had pulled Abby over to the window while Kaye was using the bathroom.

"Snow's getting heavier out there." Abby said quietly, not wanting to alert the girl.

"I've driven in worse. Worst case, I take her home and you stay here for the night. My car's only got two seats, and I know that yours is terrible any real snow."

Abby nodded. "You think it'll still be okay after the movie? She's never slept anywhere else before."

Tony thought it over. The snow had picked up, sure, but it still was nowhere near the worst he had driven in. And they only had another half an hour or so left in the movie. He didn't want to make her miss the ending just because they were concerned about a bit more snow coming down.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. Half an hour isn't going to change anything."

Just at that moment, Kaye walked out of the bathroom. "Can we start again?! Westley just can't be dead! They have to fix him!"

Tony grinned. "See? Westley just can't be dead. We have to find out what happens to him."

Abby rolled her eyes at the two of them. She had spent more time with Kaye than anyone else on the team except for Gibbs and during that time, had picked up on a few things about the little girl. There was the obvious. She was incredibly smart for her age, but not just in academics. She understood things about people and human interaction and feelings that children her age just usually didn't. She was most definitely Kate's daughter. It wasn't just her mannerisms (though some of the ways she moved reminded her of Kate so strongly that it hurt), but it was the way she spoke, how she reacted to situations, her type of sarcasm and wit. Kate shone through in every glare that she threw and every smile that enveloped her face. And her compassion – that was all her mother. But there was this other side to her. A few of them, actually, that made Abby wonder sometimes. There were moments when Kaye would be channeling Gibbs. She wanted answers to her questions right away. She wanted adults to not treat her as if she were a little child to be talked down to. If she was serious about something, you knew it. Abby surmised that some of that was to be expected. She was still at an impressionable age, and she had been living with the Marine for nearly a month. She would pick things up from him eventually. But so quickly? And that didn't explain other aspects of her personality. Like her need to prank and make jokes and laugh, or her interest in computers or writing. Her drawing was to be expected; Kate was an amazing artist. Abby still treasured the bat picture she had drawn for her. But Abby found it so interesting that Kaye seemed to already have a bit of each of them built in to her. Sure, she could analyze it and the idea could be put forth that Kate spoke of them often enough that Kaye subconsciously tried to be like the people that monopolized so much of her mother's time. But though Abby was a scientist, she was also a firm believer in the magic of life. Maybe this girl was just meant to be with them.

As she curled up back on the couch with two of her favorite people, she looked down at the youngest one and smiled while the movie began playing. She didn't particularly care how Kaye had become who she was, but she sure was glad for it.


	26. Chapter 26

Kaye was thoroughly pleased with the ending of the movie. "That was so good! Can we watch it again sometime?"

Tony grinned. "Well, I was kind of figuring if we made movie nights happen regularly, I could show you a bunch of different movies."

Kaye chewed on her bottom lip, considering his offer. "I like that idea. But I also really like this movie."

"Well, then, maybe if you're good, your own copy might show up at your house."

Kaye leapt across the room at him. "Really?! That would be awesome! I could watch it whenever I want!"

Abby had been right all along. Spending the one evening with the girl had really been all it had taken to loosen him up with her. Sure, it still surprised him that she was so tactile, but he had become accustomed to that kind of thing from his years knowing Abby, so he figured he would get over it soon.

"Alright, Bella. Why don't you sit and play your DS while we clean up and then we can take you home."

"Okay!" Kaye hopped over toward the coffee table where her silver Nintendo DS lay. Roxy had bought her the new Nintendogs game that summer and she loved it. She may not have been the most mature caregiver around, but she did care.

Tony was picking up the pizza box to take to the kitchen when he happened to glance in the direction of the window. He had to stifle his gasp. He quickly crossed the room and grabbed Abby by the wrist, quietly dragging her into the bedroom and shutting the door behind him so that Kaye wouldn't hear.

"Didn't know this was on the menu. Shouldn't we wait until after the minor is home?" She sassed.

"Abby. Look outside."

They moved over to the window in the bedroom and Tony raised the blinds.

"Holy shit!"

Tony shushed her, motioning at the door.

"We checked this, what, half an hour ago? Forty-five minutes, maybe? How could it have gotten this bad this fast?" She said at lightning speed.

The view out the window wasn't much; you couldn't properly see the buildings across the street through the falling snow. And it wasn't just meandering down calmly like it had been not an hour before. There was clearly some major wind behind it. The flakes seemed to be zipping horizontally by the window. Abby could barely make out the lump of snow shaped like her car, with just a peek of red coming through.

"There's no way even my car will make it through this, let alone yours, Abbs. At best, Gibbs' truck might. But that's not ideal either."

Abby moved over to his nightstand, grabbing his remote and turning on the smaller television set in his bedroom. She flipped it to ZNN where the headline read, "Flash Snowstorm Hits the DC Area". The woman on the screen began to speak about how the major system that should have stayed north of them had suddenly changed in the last hour. Meteorologists were saying that the heavy winds and snow could last well into late Saturday morning, meaning that major roads most likely wouldn't be properly cleared until the afternoon, and residential areas potentially being affected until Saturday evening.

They looked at each other.

Well, shit.

"Guess we better phone the boss."

Abby nodded. This hadn't been the plan. They were supposed to take Kaye for a few hours. They were supposed to eat dinner and watch a movie, letting Tony and Kaye get to know each other. They were supposed to take Kaye home, and Abby was supposed to be happily asleep in her own bed by midnight.

Gibbs was startled out of his peaceful silence by his cell phone ringing. He groaned. It better not be a damn case. Seeing DiNozzo's name flash on the tiny screen, he flipped it open and held the device to his ear.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"Hey Boss. Uh, I'm guessing you've probably been in the basement this whole time."

Gibbs started over to the stairs. "Yeah, why?"

"Boss, look outside."

"Hold your horses." Gibbs reached the top of the stairs and turned toward the living room. He didn't bother with a window, instead swinging the door open, something he regretted instantly.

"What the hell! Some snow was in the forecast. Not whatever the hell this is." He yelled into the device, slamming the door with force and staring at the layer of snow that now coated his entryway floor. Great, now he'd have to mop.

"Yeah, uh, I know, Boss. Apparently some storm front that was supposed to miss us up north decided to change its mind and bury us."

Gibbs moved over behind his couch, looking out the bay window. Somehow, in just the last few hours, the small bit of snow on the ground and the normal flakes falling from the sky had gathered enough speed and wind to bury half his tires. It was bitterly cold, and the wind was horrible, but he really couldn't believe the snow coming down. Still on the phone with DiNozzo, he flipped on his television set to ZNN.

"Meteorologists are now saying that DC and the surrounding areas are now experiencing weather strong enough to be dubbed a blizzard. This has come out of nowhere. This weather system was supposed to stay north of Philadelphia, but we saw the early stages of it start to hit several hours ago. Now it seems to have completely veered south and is hitting DC and surrounding areas hard with incredibly strong winds and heavy snowfall, resulting in very low visibility out there. This blizzard, as we are now calling it, looks like it will be wreaking havoc on the area well into tomorrow morning, and we're now hearing, potentially into the afternoon."

Gibbs hit mute. He had heard enough.

"Alright, DiNozzo. You're going to have to keep Kaye and Abby with you tonight."

"How is Kaye going to take that? She hasn't slept anywhere but at your place since she got here, has she?"

"No. She hasn't. I don't know how many real sleepovers she's had before, if any. But Abby has stayed over a few times in Kaye's bed with her since she's been living with me, so at least there's that. Why don't you put Kaye on and I'll talk to her?" Tony tried not to laugh at the fact that his tough-as-stone big scary boss had just said the word "sleepovers".

"Sure thing, Boss."

Tony held the phone to his chest and whispered to Abby what was happening. She had been watching the same news report as Gibbs and knew things were really serious when they stared mentioning the word blizzard.

She lead Tony out to the living room where Kaye was still curled into the corner of the sofa immersed in her video game. Abby sat down beside her and spoke. "Kaye, Gibbs is on the phone for you, sweetie."

The girl perked up, eagerly taking the phone from Abby. It was only when she really looked up and noticed the look on the adults' faces that her stomach churned.

"Hi Gibbs!" She said brightly, despite her sudden nerves. "The movie was so good! There was a princess and a pirate named Westley – but a good pirate, not a bad one, and a giant and big rats and sword fights and a guy with an extra finger and the pirate guy died – well, he was only mostly dead, which is why the crazy white haired man could bring him back to life!"

Gibbs felt familiar laughter rumble in his chest. Sadly, he knew exactly what she was talking about. He had begrudgingly gone with Shannon when she demanded that they take Kelly to see it. Kelly had only been three at the time, but she was a smart, strong little girl, and wasn't particularly afraid during any of it. He would never admit it to anyone else, but he hadn't hated the film. It was cheesy, but it was like that on purpose. It made fun of itself and was comical. And it made his girls happy, which was what was most important to him. Kelly had begged and begged for the VHS tape when it came out, and he was never one to say no to something so simple that she would enjoy.

"Yeah, I've heard it's a good one. Princess Bride, right?"

"Yepp. But we're all done. So I'll see you in a little bit."

"Actually, Kaye, that's what we need to talk about."

Her stomach began churning again. Something was wrong, and it was beginning to scare her. Yeah, she was generally a brave girl. She tried her best to be. But she didn't have a good track record with change. Change meant her mom started at the Secret Service. Change meant her mom changed to NCIS. Change meant her mom had been killed and she would never see her again. Change meant Roxy was leaving.

She began to feel herself panic. If they needed to talk about it, that meant she wasn't going to his house. (Funny how she had been thinking of it as "home" until now.) Maybe Gibbs wanted his life back. Maybe he didn't want her anymore. Maybe she would have to move in with Tony. Maybe Abby. Maybe they would send her to foster care.

All of this took place in a matter of seconds as she began to hyperventilate. Gibbs couldn't hear her change in breathing over the phone, but Abby and Tony noticed immediately. Abby raced over to Kaye and tried to put her hand on the girl's shoulder to calm her, but Kaye jumped away from her. In the month that she had known Kaye, Abby had never seen her like this.

Gibbs had finally taken notice to the silence on the other end of the line and spoke. "Kaye? You still there?"

He was met with continued silence as Kaye began to hold the phone away from her. She couldn't think clearly. She was completely terrified. Deep inside, she knew that she was losing control, and probably for no good reason. She didn't like it one bit. She was strong. She had learned it not just from her mother, but from being in the situation she had grown up in. You couldn't be the only child of a single mother, especially one who worked in a job that could get her killed at any second, and not be strong.

Suddenly, Tony's face clearly came into her view. Somewhere during her freak-out, he had crouched down front of her, placing one hand over hers that held the phone, and the other under her chin, attempting to focus her on him. Tony hadn't dealt with many panicking children, or any for that matter, but he had dealt with Abby on occasion, and as a child and teen, he went through a dark phase. He played up the "calm, cool kid" façade, but being shipped from boarding school to boarding school and enduring his mother's death and father's irresponsible parenting had taken a toll on him. He had learned quickly how to calm himself down during anxiety attacks in order to not let anyone know that he was having them.

He didn't know that Kaye was having them, but he wasn't surprised. She'd been through hell and probably hadn't talked much about it, knowing her.

"Kaye," he spoke very softly. "Talk to Gibbs. Everything is fine. He just needs to talk to you about the snowstorm outside."

Over the phone, Tony could hear a muffled, "Kaye? Is this stupid phone broken again?"

Kaye, slowly coming out of her fog, turned her head toward the window at Tony's words. The view outside was white. She could barely make out some lights and specks of the grey buildings across the street through the storm. It took her fast-functioning brain a few seconds to process everything.

Snow. Snow storm. Really bad. Gibbs is calling. He's calling because of the storm. He isn't leaving me. He just needs to talk about the storm. How could I be so silly?!

Tony and Abby were shocked at the sudden change of behavior. It was like a switch had gone off in Kaye's brain. Within seconds, the only trace of the silent near-panic-attack left was the slight tremble in the girl's hands.

"No, Gibbs, the phone's fine. Sorry. I just kind of spaced."


	27. Chapter 27

"I really hope your not putting abby with gibss". No, I am most definitely not. Sorry if there were any of you out there who may have been hoping for that. I VERY much see Abby as Gibbs' daughter figure.

"I like that you included jimmy but he seems like you don't like him much". I personally love Jimmy. But we didn't know much about him in the early seasons (like season 3, where this story begins), and he was often viewed as clumsy and mildly annoying, especially by Gibbs. That's where this attitude is probably coming from. As we move on through the story, things will change.

"why isnt mcgee in this story much. He barely interacts with the kid". I honestly just haven't found much of a place to put him into the story, yet. Because of how important Tony and Abby will be in Kaye's life from the beginning, I've been focussing most of the story around them at this point. But I love McGee very much. It'll be his turn to really get to know Kaye, soon.

"When will you write about the truth with Ziva and Ari?" Yeah. That's a big question. For me, everything to do with Ziva is a big question. I have always had mixed feelings about her character. A lot of the time I thought the show would be terrible without her. But I also never really connected with her character as much as the others on NCIS. She is challenging for me to write. But I am working on that. And I am also really trying to figure out her place in Kaye's life. So we'll see what happens with Ziva. I know that when Kaye does inevitably find out about Ziva's connection to Ari, it will change things between them.

Anyway, hope that answers a few questions. If you have any more for me, send them in through the review box. I'll answer them if I can! Now, on to the story!

Gibbs clicked the little red hang up button on his cell. Huh. That was odd. Kaye had just… "spaced" …on the phone? He wasn't sure why it concerned him, but it did. Maybe it was nothing. He'd have to ask Abby and DiNozzo in the morning. Grabbing the mop from beside the refrigerator, he set to work mopping up the significant puddle that the snow had left behind in is entryway. It was one hell of a storm out there. Kaye had sounded a little apprehensive about staying with Tony and Abby for the night, so he was hoping that the roads would be clear earlier than expected. But the reports still running on the news didn't offer much encouragement. He figured that, if anything, it would be at least mid to late afternoon before he could reasonably get his truck on the road. There was no way either Abby or Tony's cars would make it through this stuff even tomorrow, unless the roads were completely cleared.

Setting the mop back down in its place, Gibbs switched off the television and headed back to the basement. There was no sense sitting up there watching the news when he could just as easily be downstairs listening to it on his little old radio while he worked on his boat.

NCIS NCIS NCIS

Kaye timidly handed Tony's phone back to him. For a moment, none of them knew what to say. Kaye had just had her first ever panic attack in front of her new family. She'd had minor nervous moments before, but nothing even close to this. And she knew it could have been so much worse. She had felt herself spiraling and didn't know how to stop it. It was the weirdest thing. Her brain kept telling her that she was overreacting, but the rest of her couldn't help it. If Tony hadn't figured out that getting down into her line of vision and refocusing her would work, she didn't know where she'd be right now. She was Kaye Todd. Daughter of Caitlin Todd. Bravest eight-year-old there was. And she was scared of herself. And she was embarrassed.

She stared at the floor, not wanting Abby or Tony to see that her eyes were filling with tears. How could this have happened? Why couldn't she keep control? What would mom think? The dam broke and Kaye began to sob.

Tony and Abby both moved quickly over to the girl. Tony wrapped his arms around her as Abby stood behind them, one hand on the girl's back and the other stroking her hair out of her face.

Kaye felt Tony's breath near her ear as he spoke. "What would your mom think?"

Kaye suddenly realized she had said that out loud.

"Kaye, your mom would be so proud of you. You have been through so much, and you have come out the other side with a bright smile on your face. It's okay to be upset sometimes."

Abby finally spoke up. "Sweetie, your mommy was one of my heroes. She still is. She was strong and brave and always kind and funny. But you know what? Even she cried when she was hurting. You should never be afraid to let us know what's going on, even if you aren't completely sure, yourself. It is okay to be scared. It is okay to cry. And it is MORE than okay to come to us if it is all becoming too much, like just now. We will always be here for you, hon. Always."

Kaye spun around and hugged both of them as Abby crouched down to be level with Kaye and Tony. The two adults held the young girl until she began to calm down. Her sobs turned to soft cries, her cries turned to gasps, and even those eventually petered out to just slightly ragged breaths. With a communicative look to Abby, Tony stood, scooping the girl up into his arms, earning him a soft giggle, which brought a much needed sigh of relief and smile to each of the adults' lips.

"Now. It's snowing pretty heavily out there. We've got three options here. One, we go straight to bed. It's getting pretty close to your bedtime."

Kaye wrinkled her nose and shook her head.

"Okay. Straight to bed is a no," he jokingly called over Kaye's shoulder to Abby, who played it up.

"Got it. Next option."

"Right. Option two. We curl up on the couch and pop in another movie and you go to bed horrifically late."

Kaye considered the idea. "That sounds fun." She said softly. "But what's number three?"

"Abby, we've got a smart one, here."

"We do. Consider all the options before making an informed decision. So what's behind door number three, DiNozzo?" She said with a wink.

Tony grinned, seeing that Kaye finally had a smile back in place. "Alright. Our third and final option for your first night with Tony and Abby. We bundle up nice and warm and head outside for the snow-stormiest, coldest, craziest snow party of our lives, and then come back inside for hot chocolate and maybe even a mini-movie, and THEN we go to bed horrifically late."

Kaye found herself laughing. "I choose…." She paused for dramatic effect. "Do-ooor number threeee!"

Tony and Abby mock cheered. "WOOOOO!"

Within moments, all three of them were in as many layers as they could manage and Tony guided them out the door.


	28. Chapter 28

NCIS NCIS NCIS

"Tony! We need help!" Kaye cried from across the small once-grassy area in the front of his apartment building.

He had been turned in the other direction, taking in the scene. The world was silent. Many of the usual traffic sounds were non-existent tonight due to the blizzard, and what other ambient sounds remained had been muffled by the snow that continued to fall around them. They had been lucky. They had almost turned back around and gone inside once they felt the icy chill of the wind and snow, but within minutes, like a little miracle, the wind had died down slightly. It was still there, and it was still strong, and he was glad that he had made Kaye and Abby both wear a pair of his old big snow gloves on top of their own thin ones (it was incredibly amusing to watch Kaye try to figure out how to use her hands while wearing them, but she was managing) along with knit hats under the hoods of their winter jackets, but it was enough that they could be outside and have some fun.

He turned and smirked at the girls, who had been working on a snowman.

"We need help lifting the body!" Abby told him excitedly. He grinned. He loved when she was purely happy. She tried so hard to be the source of joy for the team all the time. And it was true that it came naturally to her. But when she wasn't trying to be that for them and she was just completely happy – he always felt his heart swell.

"Abby, you know I'd do anything for you, but if we're going to move bodies, there might be a conflict of interest with our jobs…"

He was suddenly hit by a small snowball.

"Really?! THAT is how you ask for help?"

The two girls were thrown into fits of giggles as Tony stomped over through the snow to help them lift the mid-section of the snowman up into its place.

"I'll make the head!" Kaye shouted.

Before going out, Abby had insisted on grabbing a few things for the snowman, and now Kaye was intent on making it perfect. While she worked on making a small ball of snow and rolled it around in odd little trails around the yard, Tony bent down to help Abby lift the rather large midsection onto the massive bottom part.

"Couldn't have made it any bigger, Abbs?" He squeezed his words out through his clenched teeth. This thing was not light, and he knew that if they dropped it, Kaye would be devastated and he would have to lift another one eventually, as well.

"Sorry…DiNozzo…didn't know you were…such…a…girl!" Abby struggled with her words, finally breathing a loud sigh of relief as they dropped the giant snowball in place.

Tony stretched, arching his back. He wasn't old by any means, but his back hadn't particularly enjoyed that, either. Looking up, he was shocked and amused at the mystery of Abby Sciuto once more. She didn't even seem fazed by the heavy lifting they had just done, and was already bent over helping Kaye roll around the head. He had known Abby closely for four years, now, and each day spent near her made him realize even more that he would never understand her fully. Just as well. He liked mysteries. They kept him on his toes.

Smiling, Tony trotted over to the girls as they finished rolling the head of the snowman and packing it down. He squatted down and lifted it, sending up a silent prayer of thanks for how much lighter it was than the last one.

NCIS NCIS NCIS

Tony watched Kaye shiver as she put the last eye in place on the snowman. Pulling his sleeve up, he checked his watch. He couldn't believe it. It was almost eleven. They had been out in this snowstorm forever. Once they had managed to get the snowman assembled earlier, they had broken out into a massive snowball fight, followed by making snow angels, and then they had played some version of a snowball fight mixed with tag that Kaye thought up. It was only when the three of them were completely out of breath and exhausted did they begin putting the various pieces that Abby had brought out onto the snowman.

"Alright, ladies. Let's get a photo with Mr. Snow, here, and then we'll head inside. It is so far past your bedtime, Kaye, it isn't even funny."

Kaye grinned. It had turned out to be an awesome night after all.

Tony ran inside quickly and asked Carl if he would snap a picture of the three of them, to which he happily obliged.

"Okay, you three. Get in there with your friend."

Abby stood to the right of the snowman, her arm wrapped gently around its neck. Tony was on the other side, with Kaye in front of him.

Carl smiled to himself as he took a few different shots. He was even happier with the candid ones that he managed to capture than the posed ones. As he quickly looked down at the screen after taking the pictures, he scrolled through them all and decided he had several good ones for them. His favorite two stood out, though. In the first one, Kaye was looking up at the snowman that was taller than her, that perfect magical Christmas look that children get on her face, as the two adults grinned down at her. And in the second, Abby had darted around to the other side with Tony and Kaye. She was latched onto Tony's arm, looking at he and Kaye mid-laugh, as Tony swung Kaye up into his arms. It was fun and chaotic and loving and so family-like. Carl hoped they would like those ones, as well.

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"Okay, young lady. You've had your movie. You've had your snowstorm fun. You've had your hot chocolate AND the cookies you managed to talk me into. You're in your pajamas. Your teeth are brushed. And it's after midnight. It is beyond time for bed."

Kaye smiled sleepily up at Tony from her place in the middle of his bed. After a moment of debate, they had decided that all three of them could manage to fit comfortably on his bed together, though Tony and Abby weren't quite ready for bed yet, themselves.

Abby sat down on the edge of the large bed and handed Bertha to Kaye. "Here's your hippo. How are you feelin'?"

Abby knew that Kaye had been a little freaked out earlier in the evening about having to stay with them instead of Gibbs overnight. And though she seemed to have forgotten those fears while they were outside, ever since she started getting ready for bed and got her hot chocolate, the little girl had been fairly subdued.

Kaye looked down at Bertha and gave her a squeeze, causing the stuffed puppet to let out a loud farting sound, and earning a quick smile from all three of them.

"I'm…okay. I think. Can I tell you a secret?"

Tony came to sit on the end of the bed, watching her closely.

"Of course, Bella."

"I…haven't ever really had a sleepover. I-I mean, when Roxy moved out of our apartment, I would sleep over at her place sometimes, but that was different. It was like my other house. And I've known her my whole life. But I was always too scared to have sleepovers at friends' houses. I was happier with mom than anyone." Kaye paused, holding Bertha to her. "I miss mom. And…when I had to move in with Gibbs it was like one big new sleepover. But I had to be brave for mom. And I knew that she knew Gibbs and wouldn't give me to him if he wasn't good. So I tried my hardest to make it my new home in my head. And I think it's working. Because…well, because I didn't want to sleep here tonight. I wanted to be at home, with Gibbs."

Tony glanced at Abby, noticing the tears welling up in her eyes. He reached across the bed and placed his hand over Kaye's ankle through the blankets. Abby blinked back her tears. There was no sense in letting Kaye see her all worked up over the mention of Kate. If she needed to be upset, she could be upset after they got her to sleep.

Kaye continued. "But, he said it's just for tonight to start. And that tomorrow, hopefully, I'll be back home with him. He still wants me. And I know that mom knew you guys and liked you both a lot, too. And she wouldn't send me to be with you if she thought that I should be scared of you. I still miss being home…I still miss being at home with mommy. But I had fun with you guys tonight. And I'm happy that I get to be with you. So, I guess all of that means that I'm okay."

Abby swiftly moved across the bed and enveloped Kaye in a giant hug. "Sweetie, I know this is all new for you, but we love you very much. And we are so happy that you get to be here."

Kaye snuggled into Abby's embrace. She really did like Abby and Tony.

"And hey," Tony spoke softly, giving her leg a squeeze. "Maybe once you're ready, we can make this a weekly thing. You coming over for movie night and a sleepover. Abby can come when she wants, and McGee, and maybe even Ziva. What do you think?"

Kaye looked at him as Abby backed away from the girl. "I think that will be fun."

Standing from the bed, he came around and leaned over, giving her a quick kiss on the top of her head. "Good. Now you have a good sleep."

Abby pulled the blankets up around Kaye as she snuggled down into the bed. Her eyelids were drooping heavily, and they knew she would be asleep soon. "Sweet dreams, little girl. We all love you, hon." She paused, leaning down to whisper in the girl's ear. "And remember, whenever you're scared or nervous or upset, remember that your mom is up there watching over you."

Kaye nodded, her eyes closed.

Abby pulled away from the bed and felt Tony's arms encircle her as she choked back a sob. Ushering her out of the room, he pulled his door shut behind them and guided her over to the couch. This was so unlike Abby. Sure, she was an emotional being. That was obvious to the entire world. But for her to be so easily swept into tears…this was odd.

He sat down, pulling the tall goth down beside him. She immediately turned into him as he lifted his arm and placed it around her shoulders.

"What's this about, Abbs?" He asked her softly.

"It's just – it's a lot of things. It's Kate. It's the fact that she's gone. It's the fact that that little girl in there lost her only parent and she will never get her back." Tears escaped her eyes and rolled down her cheeks, her voice cracking every so often. Tony felt a tug at his heart at each word that she spoke. "It's about…it's about Gibbs getting to be a dad a…it's about all of it. It reminds me of losing…of when my dad died."

Tony squeezed her to him. Wow. This was new. From the time that they began being friends, they had always been close. They talked a lot. And Abby was a good sounding board when he had stuff he needed to figure out in his own life. But one thing they still shied away from was their pasts. He knew she had grown up in Louisiana, that she had loved solving mysteries since she was a kid, that she had a brother, and that her parents were deaf…but that was it. He had no idea that her father had passed.

"It's gonna be okay." He whispered close to her ear as she sniffled into his shoulder. "It still kills me every day that Kate's gone. And, I'll admit…" he hesitated. He had never told her about this either. "The whole situation brings up hard memories of me losing my mom when I was a kid."

Abby's head jolted up, looking him in the eyes. They were void of tears, but they held a unique Tony sadness deep within. She reached up and patted his cheek, a sad smile slipping across her face.

"Guess we're more alike than we ever knew, hey, Tonyboy?"

He rolled his eyes good-naturedly as he hugged her to him again. "Guess so, Sciuto."

Settling Abby against him, he reached over and grabbed the remote. It was just about December, and some of his specialty movie channels were already showing Christmas movies. He silently flipped through until he found one of her favorites which hadn't started too long ago and clicked on it. As the old film all about the magic of Christmas sprang onto the screen, she left a chaste kiss on his cheek. He still remembered that this one made her feel like a child again. Tony pulled the light blanket from the back of the couch over them and glanced down at Abby. He smiled to himself. Her eyes were locked on the screen, and as she settled herself more comfortably against him, they watched as a young Natalie Wood as Susan Walker sat in front of an apartment window, watching the Macy's Parade, telling Fred Gailey all about how her mother didn't like fairy tales.


	29. Chapter 29

Gibbs sat down behind his desk and watched as DiNozzo and David attempted to congratulate McGee. He winced as the younger agent shrugged them off and sent them silently off to their desks. He hadn't known McGee as long as he had DiNozzo or Abby, and he didn't know as many horrible secrets about the boy as he did Ziva, but he knew him well enough to know that it was going to take awhile for him to work through this. Timothy McGee was the kind of man who was all heart. He took himself and life very seriously; often too seriously, it seemed.

He knew they all had a large pile of paperwork to work through after this case, and though McGee was the most efficient at it out of all of them, Gibbs decided the Probie needed a break. He looked down at his watch. Perfect timing.

"Muh-Gee."

Tim looked up from the pile of papers he had in front of him. He had finished most of his portion already. He was now working on something of Tony's, and he had a stack comprised of DiNozzo's and Ziva's paperwork perched precariously on the edge of his desk. Sometimes they forced him to do theirs. Other times, he snuck some of their stuff off of their desks when they weren't looking. He was quicker at it, anyway. Ziva had to translate everything she read into her mind, and translate what she needed to write back onto the paper, which slowed the usually very efficient officer down. And Tony was Tony. Tim was certain that had it been widely known when the older agent was a child, he would have been diagnosed with ADD. That and there was his whole thing with computers. If it wasn't a specific NCIS program on the computer, or a video game, Tony was terrible with them. And his typing skills were atrocious. So as long as the two of them hadn't spent the day picking on him (which would usually include dumping paperwork on his desk anyway), he would sneak in and grab some of their files to lighten their load.

"Boss?" he responded.

"Kaye's off school in just under an hour. You're going to take the afternoon and evening off and pick her up."

"B-Boss, I-I've never…I've never picked her up before. A-And, Tony knows her better…"

"DiNozzo over there has a pile of paperwork to finish, including, I'd wager, a good chunk of that stack on your desk. And I'll bet David has some in there, as well. You are going to take the afternoon off and pick Kaye up."

McGee looked nervous and confused, but he stood and gathered his things as Tony and Ziva pretended to ignore Gibbs. Coming around his desk, he was looking down at his phone to check the time when he ran smack into his boss, who held out a few bills.

"Here. You're going to take her out for dinner, my treat. Help her with her homework. I know she's been struggling on some of her advanced science, anyway. Could use your expertise. I have a few things to do tonight, but I'll send Abby to meet you for dinner, and the three of you can head back to my place when you're done. You've got a key. Just call her and let her know where to find you."

"Uh-uh, okay, Boss."

"Go to the main office, McGee. Tell them you're there for Kaye Todd and show 'em your I.D. They've got you on record. They'll show you where to pick her up."

"Right. Okay, Boss." McGee accepted the cash and looked awkwardly at his boss and teammates before hurrying out of the bullpen toward the elevator.

"And Tim!" Gibbs called. "Try and have some fun. She's a great kid."

McGee nodded quickly and entered the elevator.

Picking up Kaye. Alone. What had Boss just thrown him into?

NCIS NCIS NCIS

Kaye stared at the clock on the wall. One more minute until the bell would ring. Normally she loved school, but they had been working on their science projects all afternoon and she was bored. Kaye excelled at most subjects. Art was a breeze; it was ingrained into her from her mother. English was easy and writing was a bit more of a challenge, but she loved both. Math wasn't her favorite, but she was a natural in the subject, so she always made sure to buckle down and get it done as quickly as she could so that she could move on to more fun subjects. History and geography were mostly memorization, so they came easily to the girl. But then there was science. Parts of science were fun and easy, like learning about the earth, or animals, or even the human body. It was the other stuff that she struggled with. She had been told by her teachers that it was normal for someone her age to find it confusing, even as an "advanced learner" such as herself and the other kids at Brockton. They were working on lessons and concepts that typically weren't taught until the 6th or 7th grade. Her big struggles were physics and chemistry. She understood basics, sure, but putting them into practice in her homework and projects was another story. At the rate she was going, she would be ready to bump up into the next grade level in all of her other subjects very soon, but science would hold her back.

"Alright class, I want to thank you for how attentive you have been today. I understand that it has been a long stretch of science, but because you all paid such close attention today, we will be skipping our next science session in favor of a study period. However, if anyone would like help with their upcoming projects, that would be the time to come and speak with me."

Just then, the bell sounded and the students began gathering their things. Kaye smiled to herself her teacher was always on time for the bell. As she shoved her last binder in her bag, she looked up to see if Gibbs had arrived yet. He had told her that morning that barring any major complications in Tim's case, he would be there to pick her up. She hadn't gotten to know McGee well, yet, but from the time that she had spent with him, she knew that he was a kind man who probably was beating himself up pretty hard over the whole thing.

Seeing that Gibbs hadn't come in, she went and grabbed her lunch bag from her cubby on the side of the classroom and moved to put it in her pack. As she zipped her last zipper, she heard her name.

"Yeah, uh, hi. I'm here to pick up Kaye Todd? I was cleared at the office. They said they would be calling you? My name's Timothy McGee."

"Right, yes. They phoned just as the bell was ringing. Kaye is right over there."

Kaye looked up in surprise when she heard Tim speak his name.

"Tim!" She ran over to him and hugged him in excitement. "I'm so glad you're okay! Everything's okay…right?"

McGee was taken aback at the sudden act of affection. He stumbled over his thoughts and words. Apparently Gibbs was in the habit of informing this eight-year-old girl of the cases he was working on.

"Uh, uh yeah. Everything is okay. I…I guess I didn't do anything wrong." He said, looking down at the girl who now clung to his hand. "Wh-why don't you grab your bag and we can go? I…I'm supposed to help you with your science and then we're going for dinner with Abby or something?"

Kaye noticeably lit up at the mention of her favorite gothic aunt/big sister.

"Can we go for ice cream after dinner? Abby knows the best ice cream place. And you should pick where we eat dinner. Tony usually picks when he takes me. So now it's your turn. And science is stupid. I like earth science and human science and animal science and astronomy and I like chemistry but I'm kind of not good at it but I hate physics. It's stupid."

Tim smirked at her babbling and gently guided her out the door.

"Well, after we go over some of your homework, I think you will see things a little differently. Science is actually really cool. And who better to help you figure that out than Abby and I?"

For the first time in days, Tim forgot for just a few minutes about the shooting.


End file.
